Her Twisted Tale
by I-Write-Terrible-Stories
Summary: Panther D. Mara escaped death with the help of her younger brother, Monkey D. Luffy. But what happens when she travels with the Rubber Man to the Sabaody Archipelago, and continuously runs into people that she didn't want to see? And what happens when she starts to fall for someone she claimed to hate with every fiber in her body? I SUCK AT SUMMARIES
1. Saved From Death

Chapter One

My eyes focused on the grey concrete wall, my body lying down on the concrete floor in the most comfortable position I could get in. Blood stains were prominent against the walls and floor, and I wondered what could have happened for those stains to get there. Was someone murdered in this room? Or was it an accident? In any case, the stains were there, and there was nothing I could do about it. Soon enough it would be my blood that stains a part of this place...

A creak sounded nearby, and I believe it was my cell being opened, but I didn't have the strength the look and confirm my suspicion. A moment later, a pair of hands wrapped around my arms, and I was pulled from my position to a standing one, shackles wrapped around my ankles and wrists. A collar was placed on my neck, and then I began the walk of shame.

What had I really accomplished in life? I mean, I haven't really gotten that far into the Grand Line, and now here I was, being led down a dark hallway by Marines to my death. Would people remember me for what I had done? My bounty was pretty high compared to most other pirate's, but that didn't really mean too much. Once I was dead, people would eventually forget about me and go back to their normal lives.

My dream would never come true. I would never be able to see all island plants of the world, but at least _both of their dreams would come true_. At least I got the Marine's off their trails so that they could do what they needed to do with their lives. He wanted to be Pirate King, and the other wanted to kill Blackbeard. Who was I to let them die when I was able to save them?

Life came with sacrifices, and I made the ultimate one for the both of them...

My eye registered where I was, and I took note of the crowd that gathered in front of the platform. Two men stood atop that platform, swords in each of their hands and grim looks on their faces. I scanned the crowd for a familiar face, but saw none as I was dragged to the base of the steps. From there, two other men grabbed ahold of each of my arms and started to bring me up the stairs, making sure that they were rough when holding me and jerking my body every which way.

I was too tired to care anymore...

Once on top of the platform, I was forced to my knees in between the two men and the collar was unlocked and taken off my neck. The men turned to face each other and held their swords against their shoulders, awaiting the instruction to cut off my head.

"Mara the Devil, accused of piracy to an extreme with a bounty of 380,000,000 Beli. You're execution is ordered. Do you have any last words?" The man who asked was standing near the front of the crowd below me, and when I looked out over the crowd, I felt a small smile tug on my lips. The ocean was in sight, and I wondered what they were doing right now...

Shaking my head, I looked directly at the Marine in charge and gave him a wicked grin, one that most likely resembled the grin on my Wanted Poster. "All I have to say," I began, my voice weak from months of screaming in pain. "All I have to say is that all you Marines can meet me in Hell."

A sound of anger swept through the crowd and someone yelled that I should be hung and my death should be carried out longer, but I held the grin and stuck my tongue out. The Marine held up his arm straight in the air, and there was a pregnant pause. I would be a liar if I said that thoughts of regret didn't go through my mind, but I could do nothing now except for pray that my brothers would be alright. Hopefully they would fulfill their life dreams...

His hand pointed to the men standing on either side of me, and my grin nearly faltered.

Time seemed to slow down and get darker. The sun was blocked out by clouds, and my breath became slightly labored as I saw my impending doom before my eyes. The Marines down below all grinned as my death swung closer to my neck, and I knew that they were enjoying the fear in my eyes. I was ready to die... I still had dreams to pursue! I was still a _virgin _for God's sake!

The swords were mere centimeters from my neck, and my grin stayed in place so that I would die with a smiling face, but something happened.

Death never came...

Screams sounded from the Marines, and when I looked down, they were looking back up at the platform in horror. Now my grin was gone, and it was replaced with a look of confusion. What was wrong? Why am I still alive? My answer came when I finally looked over my shoulder and caught a glimpse of a hand coming from the Marine's chest and grabbing onto his own hands that were on the hilt of his sword. Those hands, as I found out, were in both men's chests, and I was as freaked out as everyone else was.

"MARA...!" I swung my head around to the left where I saw someone zooming over towards my place on the platform. I squinted against the harsh sun that was being uncovered from the clouds, and saw someone who I never thought I would see again. How long has it been? Almost three years...

There were sounds of fighting from down below, and when I looked; I spotted two men fighting off the Marines. One man was very tall with long legs and blonde hair. He was using those legs to kick the men and take them down like it was no big deal for him. The other man was more...normal in his fighting skills. Well, about as normal as you can look when you have two swords in your hands, and then another in your mouth...and green hair...

Two other men joined them...wait...were those even _humans? _One was..._really _tall, with blue hair and what looked like robotic features on his body. The other was taller than he was, probably over eight feet tall, and he looked kind of slim. Almost like a skeleton... No! He _was _a skeleton!

They were fighting together against the Marines, and when I looked back to where I saw _him, _he was nowhere in sight. Where did he go? When I strained my neck to look on the ground, he was fighting with the Marine Captain who captured me, dodging bullets and punches like a champ.

"Where the hell did these hands come from?" I turned back to the men who were my executioners and saw them trying to free themselves from the hands that mysteriously sprouted from their chests. I grinned again, knowing that those hands were on my side, and when they heard me, the men looked angrier than before. "What's so funny, pirate?"

I chuckled some more before coughing up some blood, wiping my mouth on my shoulder before speaking. "It's funny that you guys can't even kill_ one _pirate."

Sounds of fighting were dying down, and my executioners were thrown from the platform onto the ground below. I was still on my knees in my spot when everyone looked up to my spot. More people joined from probably out of nowhere, but they all seemed to be here to save me along with...

"Long time no see, eh Luffy?" My voice was still a hoarse sounding whisper, but from his spot beside the blue haired man and the blonde man. An orange haired woman stepped out with a raven haired woman, and they were followed by a man with a long nose and a small creature, that seemed to be in a very heated discussion.

He grinned up at me and put a hand on the top of his straw hat. "Yeah, I haven't seen you in forever, Mara! How have you been? Are you—" He stopped when the orange haired woman slapped his on the back of his head, an angry vein on her forehead.

"We don't have time to chit-chat!" She growled, causing the skeleton, blue-haired man, long nosed man, small creature, and green haired swordsman to back away from her in fear. The blonde had hearts in his eyes, and the raven haired woman was nowhere to be seen. Where did she go? "We have to save this girl and get going before they wake up!"

She gestured to the Marines, and then seemed to have to explain that since they weren't dead, they would wake up and kill all of them.

"Don't worry, navigator." I jumped at the feminine voice behind me, and when I tried to look, the person moved in front of me. It was the raven haired woman, a grim look on her face as she looked me over. "Doctor...?" She called over her shoulder, kneeling in front of me to unlock the shackles with some keys that she no doubt took of the Marines at some point during the fight.

The small creature was now right beside me, and he looked worried. Up close, I could tell now that he was a cute little reindeer with a blue nose and pink hat. When he studied me for a moment, his eyes went wide and started screaming, running around in circles yelling: "We need a doctor! Is there a doctor nearby?"

The shackles were off, and once they were, I started to fall forward. Had the woman not been there, I would have fallen off the platform. She easily picked me up in her arms and started off down the stairs, calling after the small reindeer, "You _are _the doctor." I looked up at her face, admiring her defined nose and dark blue eyes. She looked so familiar... "My name is Nico Robin. You must be the Mara that the captain was so adamant about saving, correct?"

I grinned and nodded. "Yeah, I guess that is me..." A cough wracked my body and I curled in on myself, bringing a battered hand up to cover my mouth. Robin's hold on me tightened and she began to walk faster when I pulled my hand away and saw the fresh blood that covered the palm. Things were blurry after that, and I was vaguely aware of being transferred into a stronger and larger set of arms. There was yelling, there was slapping noises, and there was darkness.

"...Mara, can you hear me?" My eyes fluttered open, and I saw the dark eyes of Monkey D. Luffy, something I hadn't seen in forever and didn't realize how much I missed them until they were right there. I was lying on a bed, I think, and everyone was hovering nearby while a large person worked on something at a table. Curious eyes were on me as I reached up and grabbed Luffy's upper arm.

I grinned, causing him to grin as well. "Don't worry, Luff!" I squeezed, trying to reassure myself more than him. "I can't die from just these...flesh wounds." My smiled faltered and another cough wracked through my body, splattering blood down my chin and neck.

"Everyone needs to leave." The large person at the table spoke with a voice that seemed too squeaky for someone his size. "She had so many internal and external injuries; I don't even know how she's alive right now."

Everyone filed out slowly except for Luffy, whose arm was still in my grip. He grinned back and ruffled my hair before following everyone out, giving me thumbs up before exiting. I looked back to the large person and saw the blue nose and pink hat. Was he the cute little reindeer from before? How did he grow so big?

"Alright miss, I'm going to need to...blood type...you okay? Miss...With me..."

I passed out.


	2. Awakening and Meetings

**Chapter Two**

_Am I dead?_

My breathing seemed even, and I was in a little bit of pain. Did people breathe when they moved on to the afterlife? If I was in pain, did that mean that I made it to Hell? It would make sense if that was the case, seeing as how I was a pirate when I was alive. It was only for two years, but I did accumulate quite a bounty.

My nose twitched—I could feel it—and I smelled something. It was delicious, and the aroma was coming over me like a warm embrace. What is this wonderful smell invading my senses?

My eye fluttered open a moment later, my brown orbs trying to focus on the darkness. Maybe I am in Hell...

Once my eyes adjusted to the dark, I realized that Hell was not where I was, but instead in a room with a wooden ceiling and wooden walls. Was the floor wooden as well? In any case, there was what seemed to be medical equipment sitting against the walls and close to the bed I was laying on. Looking at my arms—which were heavily bandaged—I saw that there were some IV's placed in the crook of my elbow. I looked at my legs and realized that I wrapped up like a mummy—

"Where the hell are my clothes?"

The prisoner uniform I had been wearing for however long I was in there was gone, and now I was wearing something that probably didn't even qualify as clothes. There was cloth wrapped around my breasts—_only _my breasts. Then there was cloth wrapped from my hips to about mid-thigh. Who the hell changed my clothes? It's cold...

As I examined myself, I heard laughter from outside the door across the room. Someone was laughing like there was no tomorrow, and I wondered who I was with. The room seemed to be swaying back and forth, and that was when I realized I was on a boat.

Everything was slowly coming back to me as I swung my legs over the side of the bed and started to take out the IV's. I remember being taken from my cell at the Prison and being dragged through the halls to my execution. Why am I alive then...?

"Sanji, I want meat!"

That voice... I know that voice...

Memories flooded in and I knew now what happened. Luffy and his crew saved me, and I remember some woman...Robin? And there was a skeleton! Wait...maybe I'm going crazy...

"Calm down, Luffy. You'll get your damn meat!" If that angry voice didn't confirm my suspicions, then I don't know what would.

I stood from the bed, wincing in pain as I grabbed the blanket and wrapped in around my body. If I was going to meet new people, I didn't want them to see me in something that wasn't even _clothes. _I wonder what they're like... They're probably crazy and unstable, since they're following someone like Luffy. I shuffle to the door and looked out the small window, seeing someone running around the deck and up some stairs and into another door.

There was no one else on the deck, so I carefully opened the door and closed it as quietly as I could behind me. The breeze nipped at my toes and face, but it wasn't that bad. I looked up to the door that the person went through and made my way to the stairs, making sure that I held the blanket tight around my body.

When I made it to the foot of the stairs, I sighed in exasperation. How in the world am I going to get up these without dying? As I debated on going back to that room and lying down, I smelled that wonderful aroma again. My stomach rumbled, and I decided that now was the time to eat. When was the last time I ate? I know that when I was in my cell, I hadn't eaten for about two days, and then they didn't even give me a last meal before my failed execution.

I started my voyage up the stairs, taking them slowly and carefully. My bandages were tight, and they pulled at my skin a little bit when I walked up the stairs, but I ignored it since I was about halfway up and I wasn't turning back now. As I made it up the last few steps, I did a victory fist-pump in the air, which resulted in me whimpering as something tore on my left side. When I pulled the blanket away to inspect, I saw blood running down, and that some stitches tore.

_Damn..._

Figuring there should be a doctor—or at least the person who stitched me in the first place—in there, I pressed forward and opened the door dramatically, leaning against it and spotting Luffy instantly. He was shoving food in his mouth like the glutton he was, and when he saw me, he laughed and raised a piece of meat in welcome. How charming...

I scanned the rest of the people, who happened to be a blonde guy, a green haired guy, a blue haired cyborg...guy, a skeleton guy, an orange haired girl, a black haired girl—Robin, that's her name—a long nosed guy, and a small creature who was cute and cuddly looking.

All their eyes were trained on me, every single one of the surprised with their mouths hanging open showing the food that they were in the process of chewing. Only Robin and Luffy looked calm, as they continued to eat their food after giving me a small wave, which in Luffy's case was with a piece of meat.

I cleared my throat, feeling my face turn red under the scrutiny. "I don't mean to be a burden, but whoever is the doctor around here needs to fix me up again." The cuddly blue nosed reindeer shot up and ran over. "I ripped open my stitches..."

"Let me see." I pulled the blanket to the side and showed him where the blood was, which was now reaching the cloth that covered my lower region. "I'll run down and grab the first aid kit. Sit down and don't move."

He ran out before I could even blink. When I looked back at the table, the only spot open was the one that the reindeer vacated, and that was beside the skeleton man and the blue haired man. Pulling the blanket back in place, I walked over—trying my hardest to ignore the fact that everyone was staring at me—and sat down as carefully as I could.

An awkward silence passed through the room, and I wasn't going to be the one to break it. Well, that was what I thought, but my stomach had different plans. It growled so loud that I thought it would cause an earthquake, and it made my face turn so red that I thought I would turn into a tomato. The skeleton looked down at me and seemed shocked, and everyone else looked at me like I was growing a second head.

"I'll get you some food, beautiful!" The blonde guy twirled out of his seat with hearts in his eyes and went to the soup that was sitting on the stove. He loaded up a bowl, and while he did that, the reindeer came back.

He approached me and started to unload the stuff he needed. Thinking it would be nasty to be stitched up at the table; I stood from my seat and went to stand against the wall. The blonde turned and saw that I had moved, but I asked him politely to set the bowl on the table.

"How are you feeling?" The reindeer set to work on sewing me back up, and I shrugged. "Do you feel dizzy, nauseous? Are you in any pain anywhere?"

I winced as the needle pierced a particularly tender spot. "I feel a little bit dizzy and nauseous, but I think that's because I'm hungry. I'm in pain, like, everywhere."

The reindeer nodded, making small noises as he was now wiping the blood clean and wrapping new bandages around me. "Well, that's all understandable. You got some very serious injuries—I'm not even sure how you survived. You're hungry because you've been out for about eight days."

"Eight days...?" I looked down at him wide eyed, and he nodded solemnly. "Well damn... I haven't eaten in..." I counted on my fingers a moment before coming up with an answer. "I haven't eaten in eleven days..."

The people at the table showed their surprise with yells of outrage, and the blonde guy went on about how he would cook me the best meals in the world as soon as I was done getting treated.

Luffy swallowed some food before grinning. "What, no last meal?"

The orange haired girl slapped him on the back of his head, telling him to be more sensitive. I grinned back and shrugged. "Apparently, the _really _bad pirates don't get shit."

He laughed, slapping his hand down on the table to show his extensive amusement at my sentence. The rest of the crew looked back and forth between us as I walked back to the table and started to eat. "I could never go eleven days with no food." Luffy mused after a moment of collecting himself. "I would probably die of starvation."

I snorted and sipped some more soup. It was the best I had ever eaten in my life... "I didn't even know that you knew the word 'starvation'." I insulted his intelligence, but he didn't seem to mind. "Y'know Luff, this is a nice looking crew you have here."

He stood suddenly, and would have knocked my soup off the table had it not been for my fast reflexes. He pointed to the skeleton and blue haired man at the same time. "I have a skeleton and a cyborg!"

I looked between the two men that I was sitting between and gasped, covering my mouth dramatically and widening my eyes to the max. "Oh my God... I didn't even notice..." The sarcasm was evident in my voice, but I don't think Luffy caught on like everyone else did since he didn't laugh like the rest of them. "So," I started, finishing my soup and pushing the bowl away, resting my hands on the table. "Introduce me to everyone, Monkey."

Luffy swallowed some more food before using a bone that once had meat on it and pointing at everyone as he introduced them. "That's Zoro, and he's my swordsman." I looked to the green haired man and gave a wave, but he just nodded back and went back to his soup. "That's Nami, and she's the best navigator in the world!" The orange haired girl smiled warmly at me and waved a blush on her face from the compliment. "That's Usopp, and he's a liar."

The long-nosed man stood and pointed to himself. "I am not a liar! I am the Great Captain Usopp! I am a brave warrior of the sea and—"

"He's the sharp-shooter of the crew." Nami explained, cutting off the obvious lies that Usopp was telling. I nodded in understanding and smiled at the comic expression of a heart-broken Usopp.

Luffy put up a hand and whispered rather loudly across the table to me. "He's also Yasopp's son!" At this, I was genuinely shocked, but when I examined his face some more, I could see the obvious similarities. When Usopp was going to say more, Luffy cut him off to continue the introductions. "That's Sanji, the cook." The blonde haired guy grinned at me and winked with a cigarette in his mouth. "That's—"

I followed his pointed finger and already knew the name. "Nico Robin..." I stated, giving the older woman a smile. She smiled back before looking back down at the book she was reading.

Luffy nodded. "Yeah, she's our arches...something."

"She's the archeologist?" I asked, cocking a brow at the fact that he can't say words that are big.

"Yeah, that's what it is!" I rolled my eyes at his childishness. "That's Chopper, and he's the Doctor and a reindeer!" I smiled at the reindeer, and I didn't bother to ask why he could walk and talk, since I had a feeling it was something to do with a Devil Fruit. "That's Brook, and he's the musician." The skeleton, which had gotten up and was sitting against the wall with a violin in hand, waved at me. "And Franky is the shipwright." The cyborg man with blue hair stood up, and I saw that he was wearing a speedo and Hawaiian shirt that was completely unbuttoned. He did a pose and said 'Super', which made Usopp, Chopper, and Luffy look at him in awe.

"Well," Nami spoke up, resting her head on her hand and looking across the table at me. "You met all of us, but we haven't met you yet."

I looked at Nami with confusion. "Didn't Luffy bother to tell you my name or who I am?"

Robin closed her book and turned to me, getting in a position similar to how Nami was sitting. "Captain has told everyone, rather indirectly, that your name is Mara. I am afraid that is all we know about you."

I made a face that clearly showed that I was confused. "How can I be on this ship for eight days, and he never told you guys. How could he have been with you guys and not mentioned me at least _once_?" Everyone shrugged except for Luffy, who had left sometime after the introductions. Zoro, who was leaning against the wall and looking as if he were about to fall asleep, was even listening.

"So...who are you?" Usopp asked, getting everyone else to nod as if to encourage me to answer.

I rolled my eyes and put my chin in my palm. "I'm that idiot's sister..."

There was a rather pregnant pause. The only sound was the running water from the sink, where Sanji was doing the dishes. Mouths were hanging open, and there was a collective breath, and then...


	3. Unexpected Reactions

~I haven't done this yet, and so as to not get in trouble, I have decided to do it. So, here it goes...  
I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE! ANYTHING THAT LOOKS FAMILIAR FROM THE ANIME OR MANGA IS OBVIOUSLY NOT MINE, BUT ANYTHING THAT DOESN'T LOOK FAMILIAR IS MINE~ *I'll try to continue to do this at the beginning of every chapter...if I remember .*

**Chapter Three**

Silence...

Whatever reaction I was expecting, silence sure as hell wasn't it. I thought that there would be questions, or at least a collective gasp that was both dramatic and comic. Instead, all I got was...silence.

Zoro, who had his mouth hanging open like everyone else, actually fell asleep a few moments after unveiling who I was. Robin chuckled and opened her book back up, and Nami seemed preoccupied with her thoughts. Chopper and Usopp started playing some game with their hands on the floor. Brook was fiddling with his violin, and Franky was...practicing his poses?

Sanji seemed to be the only one that was flabbergasted by all of this.

"How are you related to _Luffy_?" He didn't sound like he was disgusted, as the question itself seemed, but he seemed rather curious. Everyone now looked at him as he put his finger to his chin and took a long drag of his cigarette. "I mean, at least Luffy and Ace looked somewhat alike..."

Nami, Usopp, and Chopper all nodded in agreement, but the others seemed confused. I cocked a brow and looked between the four nodding their heads. "You guys met Ace?"

"Yeah, we met him in Nanohana and he stayed for a while." I knew that was somewhere on the Sandy Island, but I had never personally been there. "He's actually a pretty decent guy..."

I snorted, causing all eyes to fall on me, which made a blush spread over my cheeks. "Ace is anything but 'decent'. He's a major asshole, and very rude to everyone."

"He seemed nice enough to us." Chopped informed quietly, getting Usopp, Nami, and Sanji to nod in agreement.

"Maybe it's just because we grew up together..." I decided my mind now on my older brother. I hadn't seen him in about three years—ever since he left to become a pirate—and I was missing him a lot. Sure, I could have seen him any time I wanted to, but I didn't want to intrude on his life and goals. Did he miss me too? I wonder if he planned to meet up with Luffy, or if he just happened to see him as he was passing through Nanohana.

Everyone got back to what they were doing, and I was about to ask a question when Luffy barged in. He literally _sailed _through the door and crashed into Usopp and Chopper, causing all three of them to hit into the wall and shake the whole ship. Sanji and Nami got pissed and yelled at Luffy, but everyone else seemed to ignore them.

"Mara, I have a question for you." I looked up from my hands and met Luffy's wide, child-like eyes. The serious look on his face had me scared of what he could ask me, and it made him look about three years older than seventeen.

Sighing, I placed my elbow on the tabletop and put my cheek against the palm of my hand. "What do you wanna ask me, Monkey?"

There was a silent moment as he continued to look at me, unblinking eyes seeming to stare right into my soul. Why wasn't he blinking? Was he always this creepy now? Getting annoyed, I reached out and covered his face with my hand and squeezed softly, bringing him out of his head and causing him to smile. "Oh yeah, I have a question to ask you!"

Everyone in the kitchen yelled and pointed at their captain. "You already told her that!"

"I did...?" Luffy asked while scratching his head and getting one of those thinking looks on his face. Then his eyes lit up and he grinned huge, causing the scar under his left eye to dance with the movement. "What's your bounty now?"

To say I was surprised to hear that question would be an understatement. He had that grin on his face, and he seemed to be bursting with excitement as he awaited the answer. The rest of the crew leaned in closely in a dramatic fashion, apparently curious about the answer as well. I put a finger to my chin, putting on a show of thinking when in reality I wanted to see how long he would wait until he exploded.

It didn't take too long.

"Just tell me! I know you know!"

I laughed at Luffy's 'anger' and sighed. "When I was caught, which I think was about three months ago, my bounty was at 380 million Beries." His smile disappeared and he got a serious face, sucking his bottom lip in and wrinkling up his nose. "What's yours...?"

He was silent and turned away from me, and I looked to his crew, who were looking at me in awe. Robin closed her book again, being the only one not staring at me, and looked at me. "The Captain's bounty is currently 300 million Beries. Yours is currently 80 Beries higher than his own, and since you broke out of the prison, it is going to get higher."

"Aww..." I reached out and pinched Luffy's cheek, stretching his rubber chin and wiggling it around, like I used to do when we were younger. "Are you jealous that mine is higher than yours?" He got away from me and laughed, sitting on the floor Indian style and clapping his sandaled feet together.

"No, I was just curious. You and Ace have higher bounties than me though, so I guess I need to work on that."

I shook my head and stood up from my seat, stretching carefully so as to not rip my stitches. "Well, on that note, I am going to go and clean up. I kind of stink... Can someone show me where the bathing room is—?"

Sanji twirled over with hearts in his eyes and a hand over his heart. He got down on his knee and grabbed my hand, bringing it to his lips and flaring his nostrils. "My angel, I will take you there and even give you a sponge—"

A hand slapped down over his head, and when I looked, I saw Nami looking at her nails as if she didn't just give the man a concussion. I smiled at her, and she smiled as well, even though she didn't turn her head to look at me.

A bony hand touched my shoulder, and when I looked, I wasn't too shocked to see that the hand was actually just bones. I looked up—and up and up! Brook was looking ahead, his bony face seeming to be tingling with excitement. "I will show you, Mara. And while we're there, may I see your panties?"

This time, Nami used her foot and kicked Brook in the head, sending him into the wall and nearly knocking his head off. Franky seemed like he was going to offer next, but when Nami gave him a look that translated to death, he went in the corner and started posing again.

"I'll take you there. And then you can borrow some of my clothes." She grinned and led me out of the kitchen and down the stairs, holding my elbow so I wouldn't die on the way down. I saw Zoro lifting some weights on the deck that seemed to be as big as elephants, and decided that he was too strong for his own good.

The night was calm and there was a gentle breeze, but it still made my toes and fingers cold. I shivered and Nami noticed. "Don't worry, Mara, there's plenty of hot water."

When we made it to the shower, Nami helped me turn it on and left after I declined her help with undressing me. I didn't want her to see the scars that were on my body, and I made sure earlier to hide them when Chopper was fixing me up in the kitchen. I wasn't worried that he would see them—he was probably the one who undressed me, so I'm sure he's already seen _everything. _I didn't want the rest of them to see what made my body ugly.

I shook the thoughts from my head since I didn't want to be depressed in the shower, and I stepped in, enjoying the scalding hot water that travelled down my back. I sighed, feeling true ecstasy as blood and dirt escaped my hair. God, I was filthy...

The shampoo smelled of tangerines, and I had a feeling that it was kind of a theme here in this ship. I mean, there was a mini tangerine grove on the deck for crying out loud! In any case, it smelled really good, and the shower felt so wonderful that I kind of wanted to stay in there forever. But, since I didn't want to be a dick and take all of the hot water, I just scrubbed and washed everything twice before calling it quits and deciding I should get out.

I grabbed a towel that was hanging on the rack beside the shower, and grabbed the clothes off the rack that Nami brought me. I was thankful that there was a pair of pants and a long-sleeve shirt. She was a very kind girl, and I was so glad that Luffy found friends like these people.

I pulled the clothes on and left the bathing room, padding across the deck barefoot. I heard snoring, and when I looked to my left, I saw Zoro leaning against the mast with his arms behind his head and asleep. He seemed very comfortable, but I was scared that he was cold.

"What do you want?" I jumped and gripped clenched my hands into fists. Zoro cracked an eye open and used it to glare at me. "Do you need something?"

I shook my head and shifted from foot to foot. "I was just thinking that you're cold..."

"I'm not." I nodded, pursing my lips and bringing my hands behind my back. I don't think Zoro likes me all that much... "Chopper is waiting in the infirmary for you."

I looked back at him and saw that he was nodding his head to the door that I came out of earlier. I nodded and gave a small, awkward wave before padding to the door. I knocked once before entering, finding Chopper sitting on a stool with his eyes drooping closed. Poor thing must be so tired...

"Doctor Chopper...?"

He jumped up and started to screamed, but once he realized it was me, he smiled and hopped down from the stool. "Oh, hey Mara, I was just getting the things ready to redo your bandages before you went to sleep."

I nodded, biting back my comment about how it looked like he was sleeping, and sat on the small cot that I was on earlier. He got to work and was done rather quickly. "Thank you."

He blushed and started swaying awkwardly. "Oh stop it, you bastard. I don't need you to thank me at all, you idiot." I sweat-dropped at his response, but continued to smile at him as he gave me some Doctor's orders. "Don't do any strenuous activity. Don't take the bandages off unless you're going to shower. And don't pick at anything. If you feel like you're in pain somewhere on the inside, tell me immediately and I will take a look at it."

I gave a mock salute and smiled before lying down on the cot and pulling a fresh blanket over my body. Chopper said goodnight and told me to get him if I needed anything, even if he was asleep.

How in the world did Luffy find such amazing people?

I knew the answer to that as soon as it crossed my mind. Luffy was one of those people that you either hated or loved, and most people loved him. I was one of those people as well, but in my case, most people hated me.

Sighing, I closed my eyes and succumbed to sleep, wondering how on earth I could be so tired even though I was out for eight days straight.


	4. Freedom and Interaction

**Disclaimer: ME NO OWN ONE PIECE! (Kind of glad I don't—I would probably make the storyline SUCK)**

Chapter Four

Relief flooded through my body as the bandages were removed from my body, twirling around my feet in elegant strips of blood-stained white. Chopper was doing last-minute evaluations as he unwound my body, seeming pleased that I healed so well.

It had been ten days since I woke up on the Straw Hat's ship, dubbed the Thousand Sunny after their old ship died. Now the last of my bruises were healing, and I wondered how everyone would react to me now. I hadn't really interacted with the crew during my ten day stay, seeing as how I as being forced to stay in bed as per Chopper's orders. Sure, some of them came and visited me a few times during these days, but someone who had not made an appearance at least once was the green haired swordsman Zoro. Was he avoiding me? I hadn't spoken to him directly since the night I woke up, and even then he was a butt hole to me.

"Dammit Luffy, give me back that meat!" I smirked at Sanji's angry voice, and rolled my eyes when I heard the tell-tale sounds of Luffy getting his ass kicked by the chef. Chopper ignored the sounds as best as he could while he gave me one last examination before producing a smile and waving a hoof in the air.

"You seem as good as new! There is some minor scarring, but—"

I cut off his words by holding up my hand and smirked. "As you can see, scars aren't really a problem anymore..." He seemed sad and asked about where I got them, but I simply shook my head at his curiosity. "That's a story for another night."

He released me and said he would hang back so he could go over some stuff, and when I exited the infirmary, I was nearly knocked over by a flying...something... When I saved myself by backing up slightly, I looked to where the thing had flown and saw that it was Luffy. Sanji was standing up on the galley waving a spoon angrily at the rubber boy.

"And stay out of my kitchen!" He then noticed me—bandage free and staring after Luffy—and his angry eyes immediately filled with hearts. He twirled in circles and started to sing about how God was blessing him with such wonderful angels. I call bullshit...

A hand plopped on my shoulder and when I looked over, the arm that was connected to the hand stretched out to where Luffy was curled around the mast of the ship, an impish grin on his face. "Mara, wanna play tag with us?"

I cocked a brow and looked around, seeing everyone going about their business. "Who is 'us' exactly, Luffy?"

"Me, Usopp, Chopper, and Zoro..."

The last name brought a frown to my lips, but it went away when the green haired man himself walked past us and shook his head. "There is no way in hell that I am playing with you."

Luffy frowned and I laughed, but Zoro just gave me a scowl before he proceeded to walk across the deck and sit against the railing, letting his eyes fall closed and taking a nap. Lazy ass...

"So, what do you say?" Luffy's eyes shone with excitement and I was about to say yes, but Nami saved me by calling me up to the crow's nest with her and Robin. I shrugged to Luffy, who shrugged back and went to attack Usopp with his Gum-Gum Rocket. I rolled my eyes and started for the ladder, but I bumped into a certain violin playing skeleton—literally.

I smiled up at him with an apologetic look. "Sorry about that, Brook."

He laughed with his peculiar 'Yohoho!' laugh and put a hand to my shoulder. "You can make it up to me by telling me the color of your panties."

I rolled my eyes, having come accustomed to his odd panty related questions. When he came to visit me during the past few days, he would ask to see them, and then he would be promptly hit by Nami upon hearing the ridiculous question. It rather amused me, and I had no qualms about him at least _knowing _the color of my underwear.

"Today they're red."

He fainted.

I laughed and continued my way up to the crow's nest, smiling at the other females that were on the ship as I sat next to Robin, who was currently engrossed in a book. She offered me a smile before continuing her reading, and Nami was looking through a telescope and checking every few seconds on her Log Pose.

"We're coming up on an island, but it feels like a storm is going to hit soon."

Nami had a look on concentration on her face, and I wondered how she put up with being the only one on this ship that was able to tell things like this. I would have lost my mind a long time ago—especially being surrounded by all the idiots on here.

"We should get there before the storm and—Oh! There's the island!"

She handed me the telescope, which I looked through and saw a long island floating off in the distance. There were a few more ships docked there it looked like, one being a Marine vessel and the others being pirate ships. I handed it to Robin, who took one look and got back to her book as if it didn't interest her in the slightest. Nami discussed with us what she though the island was before leaning over the edge of the crow's nest and called out to the crew.

"Hey, we're gonna be coming up on the island in a little bit, so be ready!"

There was a scream, then there was some yelling, and then there was another scream. I got up and stood beside Nami, looking down at the scene before me. The crew had gathered around Keimi and Pappug, and she was screaming and pointing towards the island.

Did I forget to mention that at some point when I was resting in the infirmary, we picked up a mermaid? And there was also an octopus man named Hatchin, or Hachi for short. Yeah...things were getting weirder and weirder as I stayed with these people.

"What's wrong, my sweet?" Sanji twirled over to the young, green haired mermaid and started stroking her hand. Was everyone his love?

She shook her head and smiled weakly. "Oh, there's nothing wrong. It's just that..." Her eyes drifted back to the island we were coming up on, and I suddenly realized what it was. I had been there before I was captured by the Marines. This is the place that I was captured on. My hands gripped the crow's nest so hard that my knuckles turned white.

"That's the Sabaody Archipelago." Everyone's eyes turned up to me, confusion in most faces. Luffy seemed to be the most confused, but that was a normal thing. Zoro cocked a brow and rested his elbow on his three swords at his hip, turning his head to the side and studying me. My eyes cut to Keimi, seeing how she nodded in confirmation to my guess. "Well shit..."

Usopp raised a hand as if we were in school, and when everyone ignored him and didn't call on him, he sighed and stood. "How do you know what that is? When we found you, you were _way _out there!" He pointed behind the ship, as if to emphasize his point.

I gave him a sarcastic grin. "This is how far I got into the Grand Line when I captured by the Marines." From the corner of my eyes, I saw Robin look up from her book and give me a sympathetic look.

Keimi screamed again, her tongue sticking out and seeming to...bend oddly. Pappug stared at me in disbelief, and Hachi seemed to be awestruck. "You were captured by the Marines here?" Hachi asked, as if he didn't hear me the first time. When I nodded, he put one of his eight hands to his chin and nodded. "How did you get captured? From what Arlong told me, you're Mara the Devil. You can take anyone..."

Nami snapped her head in my direction with a gasp. "You know Arlong?" I gave her a look, wondering why she was so curious about him. How did she know him in the first place? Oh wait... I looked down at Luffy, whose eyes were resting on the Archipelago in the distance, not at all concerned with our conversation. He defeated Arlong to earn his first bounty...30 million Beries, was it?

Returning to the questions I had been asked, I shrugged and jumped down from the crow's nest, landing beside Brook who got scared and fell backwards off the crate he was sitting on. "I met Arlong when I first became a pirate, and he's an asshole." I answered Nami first, earning a whole hearted nod and glassy eyes that seemed to be recalling memories that were bad. What happened to her?

Turning to Hachi, I shrugged and stretched my arms up in the air. "Yeah, I kind of made a...miscalculation against...someone on Sabaody." The crew was now listening in earnest—even Luffy—as they had never heard of me speak of how I got captured. Were they _that _curious about it? "Yeah, I didn't think he would go so far as to get the Marines involved in our little skirmish, but hey! He's an ass, so I shouldn't really have too high of expectations, right?"

"Who was he?" Zoro asked, sitting back against a crate that was near where I was standing. Brook stood from where he fell, dusting off his tattered gentlemen's attired and fixing his afro.

Sanji fell to his knees and banged against the floor of the deck. Franky yelled at him for damaging his ship, even though he knew that it would never break against someone as weak as Sanji. When asked what was wrong, Sanji lifted his teary face and shouted to the Heaven's. "He must be my dear Mara's ex-boyfriend!"

I blanched and snorted at his accusation. Chopper started to cry as well—although I'm not sure why—and the fish-men that were on the ship just watched the antics as if they didn't know what to do. Truthfully, I didn't really know what to do either.

I lifted a foot and stepped gently on Sanji's fist that was banging the poor deck relentlessly. He looked up at me, his face an absolute mess, and I grinned down at him. "Trust me, Sanji. That man is anything but an _ex-boyfriend._" There was silence then, except for Usopp starting to tell a tale about how he defeated so many ex-boyfriends' for the countless women that he saved, that he had an endless number of women waiting to be courted by him.

Rolling my eyes, I saw on the ground beside Keimi, who was looking at me as if I was someone she had never seen before. Her purple eyes seemed to hold...admiration? No, she couldn't admire someone like me. I was a screw-up in every aspect of life, so she should find someone she could admire and be proud of that fact. Someone...who...hell, I don't know...

Looking out at the Archipelago, I scowled at the mass of land and dug my nails into the flesh of my skin. "He's still there." I whispered, but knew that Keimi and Brook heard me, since they were seated on either side of me. Brook turned his skeletal head towards me, and Keimi stiffened as if from fear. "He's been waiting for me..."

_Raven..._

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**[AN:] Thank you to my dear readers who are willing to take a gander at this story and read it. Reviews are welcome and I love reading them! If something doesn't make sense, please tell me and I will try to find a way to clear anything up! Questions? Comments? Dedications? Requests? Things that keep you up at night? (My theatre teacher says that ALL THE TIME)**

**OVER AND OUT! LOVES YOU 3**


	5. Supernova with Connections

Okay, I was going to wait to put another chapter, but I feel like I should just put this one out since I would feel bad if I didn't.

**DISCLAIMER: I STILL DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE, AND IT WOULD STILL SUCK IF I DID**

* * *

Chapter Five

"Well, this is where I say my goodbyes!"

Whines of protest filled the air of the ship as I stood on the railings with my hand in my hair and a small sack of food and clothes in my other hand. Luffy stood impassively, grinning like a fool with a hand on his hat. Zoro opened his eye from his nap for a second before closing it again and snoring rather loudly. Nami seemed kind of sad about me departure as well, tearing up a little as she complained about thinking she finally had another girl on the ship, but it was still two against seven since I'm leaving.

Robin looked up at me, her blue eyes shining in the sun, and she smiled. She understood why I was leaving I think, and she didn't bother trying to stop me. Chopper was crying large tears with Usopp on the ground, complaining that they never got to play a game of tag with me. Sanji was crying as well, but he was claiming that the love of his life was walking away from him.

Franky was doing poses while he expressed that he would miss 'a cool chick like me'. Brook was playing a sad song for my departure on his violin, standing tall among the Straw Hat Crew.

"Don't be such babies!" I ordered, grinning and jumping down from the railing to stand on the deck one last time. I didn't think it was possible, but I would miss these guys. Nothing really happened when I was with them, but what little interaction I had with them made me sad to leave. Overall, I would miss... "Luffy,"

His grin got wider and he used his devil fruit powers to grab me and pull me into a much unexpected hug. I stood rigid for a moment as his arms snaked around my shoulders, but I relaxed after a moment and returned to hug.

"Take care of yourself, you idiot." I mumbled, gripping his blue vest as hard as I could. I felt my eyes burning, but willed myself not to cry. I promised myself months ago that I would never cry again, and I wasn't about to break that promise now. "Make sure you find the One Piece, and make sure that your crew gets to their dreams as well."

Zoro wanted to be the world's greatest swordsman by defeating Mihawk...Nami wanted to make a map of the entire world...Usopp wanted to be a brave warrior of the sea...Sanji wanted to find the All Blue...Chopper wanted to become a great doctor...Robin wanted to find the Rio Poneglyph...Franky wanted to build the greatest ship...and Brook wanted to reunite with the whale Laboon at Reverse Mountain...

"You need to get your dream too, Mara." I laughed at Luffy's claim, thinking about what my goal was. What did I really want to do in life? At first, when I received my Devil Fruit powers of the Ivy-Ivy Fruit, I wanted to be the best botanist in the entire world, since I didn't really have a purpose before then. But then my goal changed, and I decided that I wanted to kill _him..._

I pushed away from my brother and kissed his cheek. Sanji screamed to the high Heaven's that life wasn't fair, but everyone just ignored him. "Good luck out there, Monkey. Be careful here. I heard that there is bound to be some...fun on the Archipelago soon."

Leaving everyone confused at my statement, I stood on the railing again and looked at the large gap between the land at the ship. Deciding I didn't want to jump—and being the show off that I am—I used my Ivy-Ivy Fruit powers and created a bridge of plants. It climbed from the land and attached carefully to the railing of the ship. Usopp, Luffy, Chopper, and Brook exclaimed about how cool it was, and they decided that they would slide down it after I was gone.

Nami demanded when I got my Devil Fruit powers, but I rolled my eyes and started to walk away, holding up my hand in a two finger salute as I made my way to land and started for my destination.

* * *

Where the hell am I...?

I looked around the Archipelago, wondering how I could have gotten lost. I mean, the first time I was here, I found my way around like I had lived here all my life! And now I couldn't even simply find where in the Hell I was...

I looked around to the trees, trying to find any indication as to what grove I was in, but there was no numbers on any trees around me. I sighed, thinking back to how long I had been walking. I left the Straw Hat's about...an hour ago? So I've been walking aimlessly around for an hour!

I sweat dropped at my own actions and decided to take a sharp left for no reason other than being angry that I didn't know where I was. It seemed to be a good move, until I saw someone I didn't really want to see right now.

He was hard to miss, wearing a large pink piece in the middle of a group of people who were significantly...smaller than him. His long hair was tied up in an odd fashion, as it always was, and his odd arms that had two elbow joints instead of one were moving around in a weird fashion. A man was cowering beneath him, screaming for the man to spare his life, but the odd looking giant of a man just laughed in his face.

"You think I would spare someone like you?" He asked, raising his hand as if to strike the poor defenseless man on the ground.

That is when I decided to intervene.

I moved my hand in a circle and some vines stretched out from the ground and wrapped around his arms, in between his two elbow crooks. The man looked around for a moment before letting out a bark of a laugh and looking straight in my direction.

"Mara the Devil, huh... To what do I owe the pleasure?"

I rolled my eyes and strolled over to him, pushing past him with a jut of my own _normal _elbow, and offered the cowering man my hand. He looked at me as if I were a God, and he kneeled before me, kissing my hands and feet in thanks before running away with his tail between his legs.

I sighed, turning to look over my shoulder at the man behind me. "Seriously, Apoo, was all that really necessary?" Scratchmen Apoo simply roared with laughter, not scared of me in the least. I didn't blame him. Hell, I was a girl who was barely over five feet tall and standing up to him.

I knew better though. I knew that Apoo was at least a _little _scared of me. I mean, my bounty is nearly three times higher than his was.

"Listen here, Little Devil," He stated after I let go of his arms, sitting down on the ground and still towering over me. "I was wondering when the hell you would show up. Now, it seems that all Eleven Supernovas are here at the same time..."

I scowled at my title of 'Supernova', but couldn't really do anything about it. I mean, the Supernovas were supposed to be _rookie _pirates, and I was already two years into my piracy! If it hadn't been for two certain Yonko and a two certain Shichibukai, then I wouldn't be considered a rookie by anyone!

"So, everyone is here? Like, _everyone..._?" Apoo nodded, his large head making the movements seem more dramatic than they really were. "It's like having one of those family reunions that nobody wants to go to..." I whispered my analogy, but he heard it of course.

Apoo stood, the people who I assumed were his crew following his lead and not saying a word. "Well Mara, I do hope that this is not the last time we see each other. And, I hope that you can make it passed the Archipelago without being captured this time."

With a thunderous laugh, he strolled off, whistling a tune to himself that seemed mocking and bored at the same time. I really hated that man, ever since I met him a year ago...

"Mara...?" Why was everyone seeing me today? I didn't want to see anyone else who—

Green hair caught my attention and it took me a moment to take in the red and white striped shirt and the scar that ran across his chest. What the hell...? "Zoro, what are you doing here?" I asked, bewildered that Luffy's swordsman was wandering around all alone. Didn't he have a bad sense of direction or something?

He shrugged and rested his elbow on his swords. "I went for a walk. I'm taking in the sights and—Wait a second! What the hell are _you _doing here?"

"I came here with you guys..." I explained slowly, since I had a feeling that if I talked too fast he wouldn't understand. His face screwed up in confusion and I slapped my forehead. "I—Came—Here—With—You—and—"

He growled and I laughed, noticing the pink hue to his face. Did I embarrass him? "That's not what I meant! I mean, why are you still here? I thought you were gonna leave us and go off on your own..."

"I did leave you guys, but apparently, you're following me." My accusation brought a deeper blush to his face, and I laughed and slapped his shoulder. "Don't worry, Zoro! We can just hang out until I find out what I need to do! Wanna join me for a cup of Sake?"

He looked at me distrustfully but nodded after a moment. I nodded and clapped my hands together, grabbing his wrist and dragging him with me to a nearby bar. He protested about being dragged, but I told him I didn't want him to get lost, and he grumbled about me being troublesome.

We entered the bar and everyone turned to see who walked in. When they saw us, most of them looked frightened and went back to what they were doing so that they wouldn't stare and piss off two Supernovas. Sure, Zoro is one of the lower ranking Supernovas, but I am at the top, and that's probably what struck fear in them.

"Why are they acting weird?" Zoro asked, and when I explained, he seemed to understand why they averted out gazes and scooted away when we made our way to the bar table.

I slammed my hand down, getting the bartenders attention, and ordered. "Can we have two mugs of sake, good sir?" The man nodded and bowed a few times before running to get our stuff as fast as he could. "Get used to being feared, Zoro." I told him, bringing my hand down to rest on my palm. "You're a Supernova with a high bounty—people naturally fear us."

The man brought our drinks and I toasted to Zoro, and he seemed to be eying me with distrust the whole time. I ignored it and looked around the bar, wondering who else was in here worth noting. There was a shady looking man in the corner with a long beard and scraggly looking hair. He looked like he would stink... There was a man surrounded by a handful of women, and they were all vying for his attention, but he was busy staring after a rather attractive waitress in short shorts. Then there was—

"Son of a bitch..." I grumbled, turning back around and facing forward, sipping gingerly on my mug of Sake and hoping he hadn't seen me. Zoro looked down at me with a raised brow and asked what I was doing. "See that guy over in the corner? The one with the stupid hat and X's on his chin and chest." Zoro began to turn, but I reached out a hand and slapped the back of his head, causing him to yell at me and give me a look. "Don't look you moron!" I hissed angrily, bringing my elbows to rest on the table and covering my face.

"Why are you going to ask me if I see him if I can't turn and look?" I sighed and shook my head, seeing that he turned and looked anyway. "Now I see him." His tone was snarky, which caused me to glare at him. "What about him?"

Was he really that dumb? "That's X Drake, one of the Supernovas. His bounty is at 222 million Beries, and he absolutely _loathes _me!"

"Your bounty is higher than his, so you can easily take him on." I blanched at his comment, seeing that he didn't know how wrong he was.

Shaking my head, I glanced over my shoulder to see him laughing it up with some men that were probably in his crew. I scowled and took another drink of my Sake. "The only reason I even have a bounty for myself is because of the people I know. I mean, when you know some Yonko and a few Shichibukai, you tend to make a name for yourself."

"You know...what...?"

I slapped myself rather hard on the forehead and glared at the green haired man beside me. "Are you being serious right now? I mean, you fought against Crocodile with Luffy, and he was a Shichibukai." He thought a moment before nodding. "The Shichibukai that _I _know are Boa Hancock and Hawk-Eyes Mihawk, but—" A hand clapped down on my shoulder and I yelped in surprise. I thought it was Zoro, but when I looked, he was staring at me with wide eyes. I looked behind me and ended up staring at a giant X against the flesh of a chest.

_Oh shit..._

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Panther D. Mara herself!" I looked up at Drake's face and scowled. He grinned and took it upon himself to sit beside me, keeping his arm on my shoulder so that it was resting on both shoulders.

He was trapping me... "I haven't seen you since...a year ago, was it? Yeah, I think it was a year... You were training with that Mihawk and tried to kill me!"

Zoro jumped and sputtered alcohol all over his lap. I growled at him. Why did he have to act like an idiot right now? "He even _trained _you..."

"Well Drake, it was great catching up, but I _really _have to get going. Please, if you see anyone that wants to talk to me, tell them that I'm dead or something and—"

He tsked and didn't release his hold on my shoulders, but he sure as hell did tighten it. "Oh but Devil, you're _supposed _to be dead right now. I read in the papers about your execution."

I reached into my sack that was resting on my lap and pulled out a paper, shoving it in his face, forcing his hand to move and allowing me to get up. I dragged Zoro with me, much to his dismay, and started to head out the door. "You really should catch up on your current events, Drake!" I turned and saw him reading the paper, crumpling it in his hands in anger. He was beyond pissed that I was mocking him, and in front of his crew at that. "That paper came out the other day!"

I dragged Zoro from the bar and started to speed walk away, dragging the man with me. He was protesting, but I was ignoring him. My heart was pounding in my ears and a sharp pain came over shoulder. "Shut up, Zoro..."

He grabbed my hand and dragged me to a stop, forcing me to face his furious gaze. What crawled up his ass and died? "When were you going to inform me that you're associated with Mihawk and that he _trained _you?"

I opened my mouth to say something, but closed it again. I did that a few more times, really not knowing what to say. I know why he's mad now. It's his dream to defeat Mihawk, and knowing that I know him would be a great asset for him in the future.

Shrugging, I pulled my hand from his grasp and gave him a smile. "There was no reason to tell you about knowing him, Zoro." His face turned red with anger, but I simply started to walk away, waving over my shoulder. "The training didn't work out anyway, so I would be no help to you."

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**[AN:] LADIES AND GENTS, REVIEWS ARE WELCOME AND STUFF LIKE THAT. IF YOU SEE ANY MISTAKES OR ANYTHING THAT IS UNLCEAR TO YOU, JUST LEMME KNOW AND I WILL BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO EXPLAIN. THANKS A BUNCH, LOVE YOU!**

**xOxOxOxOxOxOxO**


	6. Incident in Grove Ten

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.**

**I promised an update for today, and I feel on a roll with this story right now, so I want to get out as much as I can before I go brain dead and can't think of anything else to write. For those of you who are wondering about when Law will show up, just wait a chapter or two, and she'll Mara will meet up with him.**

**Remember-patience is a virtue :)**

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Chapter Six

Grove ten's marker loomed over me, and I had a bad feeling in my stomach. This was where I was three months ago when I was ambushed by the Marines and _him._ I clenched my hands into fists, thinking of how badly I wanted to kill him and get on with my life. He ruined me. He ruined everything about me, and because of him, I was a different person.

I wasn't fun anymore.

I couldn't laugh like I wanted to—it was always forced.

I was a mess because of him, and I didn't know what to do until he died.

I remember the day that I was captured like it was only yesterday.

* * *

_The sun was shining and I felt good. I made it to the Sabaody Archipelago in very good time due to my Devil Fruit powers. I never had to wait for a Log Pose to set, and that was a major advantage for anyone on the Grand Line._

_ The people of Sabaody were kind enough, and they even warned me about the human slave auctions that happened. I remember thinking how dark and evil the thought of being a slave was, and I made sure to not get capture by anyone on the Archipelago._

_ I looked around the place and felt nostalgic about being so close to entering the New World. I would meet up with everyone there, and they would welcome me to being a wonderful pirate._

_ Grove nine was being left behind, and I was just passing under the marker tree of Grove Ten, my eyes blazing with being able to get somewhere in life._

_ A branch snapped in the distance, and there was really no reason for anyone to be worried about that, but I was one paranoid person. Looking over my shoulder, I saw shadows passing in between the trees and plant life. I seemed to forget momentarily that I had Devil Fruit powers, for fear consumed me like a hot fire. I called out, asking who was there, and when I got no answer, I sped up my walking._

_ Another twig snapped, and as I was about to turn and use my powers, something hit me. It wasn't something like a rock or a twig. No, someone hit me with an explosion._

_ Whatever happened must have started at my feet due to the fact that I was blasted into the air about fifteen feet. When I came crashing down, my body slammed into a tree before hitting the ground painfully. White hot, searing pain rushed through my body, and it hurt my pride a little that I let out a piercing scream._

_ When I opened my eyes, I noticed that the entire area around me had been blasted to smithereens. I was temporarily blinded—and I didn't know if it was because of the bright white light that came with the explosion or the blood that was pooling from the wound on my head into my eyes. I gripped at the ground, my hands as bloody as my face, and tried to get up and defend myself._

_ "Well, well, well, if it isn't my sweet little Panther..."_

_ My attempts at getting up were halted at the sickly sweet voice by my ear. I leaned away from the voice, hoping that maybe he would leave me alone and walk away._

_ What a fool I was._

_ Fingers gripped my face and elicited another scream, digging into my flesh with nails that seemed too long for any man. His snicker followed, and I hoped to God that I would just die. Why couldn't he leave me alone? Why did he insist on following me everywhere?_

_ "Now Panther, please be a good little girl and do what you're told." I shook my head, knowing that he wanted me to join him. He wanted, just like ten years ago, my Devil Fruit Powers. The same ones that he forced me to have in the first place... "If I cannot have them, then no one will. Time for your death, my little Panther..."_

_ Hands gripped at me from everywhere, and I swear someone grabbed me in places that shouldn't be touched without my permission. Cuffs were placed on my wrists and ankles, and then a collar was put around my neck. Was I being captured for slavery?_

_ No, I was being captured by the Marines._

_ I opened my eyes again, my head lolling to the side, and saw that they were all wearing the Marines uniform. I looked to my left, where the voice had initially came from, and saw the man I hated most of all in the world. He grinned and waved to me as if it were all fun and game, hand gripping that infuriating cane that kept him upright._

_ His black hair swayed in the wind, down from the ponytail that I usually saw on him. He wore a lot of purple, which wasn't a big change from the pink that he wore ten years ago, and his face was as handsome as ever. I wanted him tortured. I wanted him to leave me alone._

_ I wanted him dead._

_ With my last amount of strength, I smiled back and started to lift my cuffed hands, watching as his face turned from amused to curious in a matter of seconds. My smile turned into a grin as I curled in my four fingers, but left my middle one exposed to that monster of a man._

_ A growl came from his throat, and I chuckled, causing blood to splatter down my chin and over the front of my clothes. A smack across my cheek only made me laugh louder, and then I was taken away and he was held back._

_ "Don't worry Raven. It will be an honor to get away from you in death..."_

_ Another smack...then off to prison..._

* * *

The tree came back into focus, and I looked down at the ground beneath my feet. The grass around me didn't look as green and lively as the grass everywhere else, and that was a sure sign that this was where the explosion happened.

I walked to where the heart of the explosion was, feeling like I had to stand there one last time. I willed my feet to walk over next to the same tree that I was standing in front of three months ago. My heart beat sped up in fear, and my body broke into a cold sweat. Why was I acting like this? It was just a fucking tree! I shouldn't be acting like Raven was right here, right in front of me and waiting to kill me. I was being stupid, and it made me angry. So, with a shake of my head and clenching my fists together, I plopped onto the ground and leaned against the charred tree, dropping my sack beside me in a not so careful way.

"This is so stupid..." I grumbled, feeling like I must have looked really dumb walking like a robot over to a tree and sitting down like I was about to die. What did the people walking around think of this? Did they recognize me from my wanted posters? Did they—

_Snap!_

I gasped out a small shriek and looked to where I heard the twig snap. A strong sense of déjà vu washed over me, and I felt as if my imminent death was coming. Was the same thing from three months ago bound to happen again? No Mara, you're just being overdramatic.

Then why did I feel like someone was watching me?

Why did I feel like they were approaching me?

Why did—

"What the hell are you doing here?" I squinted up to the figure that was looming over me and sighed at the familiar voice.

Zoro was glaring down at me, his arms crossed over his muscular chest like he was angry at seeing me again. "I should be asking you that, moss head." I stated, leaning my head back against the tree and rubbing my hands over the grass beneath them. "You seem to be following me around the Archipelago. Do you want me to stay with the crew _that _bad?"

His eyebrow twitched and he grumbled something under his breath, but sat across from me instead of stomping away like I thought he was going to. "I was trying to head back to Grove One. I'm not following you..."

I sweat dropped, appalled that someone's sense of direction can really be _that _bad. "You do realize that you're going the wrong way." A vein popped up on his forehead and his brow twitched again. "Last time I saw you, we were in Grove Five, and now we're in Grove Ten..."

"Whatever..."

I chuckled, but didn't say anything else as I started to look around the area. I was relieved that Zoro walked out of the trees instead of the Marines or Raven. I didn't really want to get captured again. Sighing, I gripped the grass a little harder than I meant to and my nails started to protest from the way I was handling them. My teeth clenched thinking of Raven and how low he went. My breathing became ragged and—

"—Mara!" I snapped out of my thoughts, releasing my death grip of the few blades of dead grass that I pulled from the ground. My teeth unclenched, giving relief to my jaw, and my eyes willed themselves to look at Zoro. His hand was on my knee, and it seemed he had been shaking it for a while to get my attention. He looked...worried? Why would he...? "What's wrong with you?"

His demand reminded me that he was clueless as to what was going on with me. I chuckled without humor and gestured around the area we sat it. "Have you noticed how dead this area is?" He looked around, taking his hand off my knee and placed it against the ground. He nodded slowly, as if he were unsure if it was the correct answer. "This is where it happened..."

"What happened?" I slapped his head, angry that he could really be that...dense. "What the hell was that for you crazy woman?"

I sighed and put my hands back on the ground, stroking the grass. "This is where I was captured by the Marines." His eyes widened slightly and he looked around again, as if the place would look different after that revelation. Hell, maybe it did look different to him now. "It happened right in this spot. It's where they cuffed me and took me away."

His eyes went to where my hands were patting the ground, and then he looked at me face, his brows drawn together. "You're not...gonna start crying, are you?" I shook my head with a smile that I knew didn't reach my eyes. "Good." He nodded and moved to lean back against the tree beside me, taking his swords and leaning them all against his shoulder. "Can I ask you something?"

"I don't see why not." I shrugged, turning my head to look at him. He had a gleam in his eye—my mother called it the dreamer's gleam—and I knew what he was going to ask. "You wanna know about Mihawk, don't you?"

He didn't seem shocked that I knew, and he smiled slightly. "I was wondering how you met someone like him and got him to train you." I studied his face for a moment, taking in the hopeful look in his eyes and that smirk that was now taught against his skin. He feared I think, that I wouldn't answer his question. What kind of person would I be if I did that?

"Well," I began, bringing my knees up and folding my arms under my breasts. "I met Mihawk when I first became a pirate about two years ago. He saved me from some pirates that thought they could just kidnap me and make me a part of their crew, but he claimed he only did it because I looked weak and stupid." I snorted at the memory, shifting my feet into a more comfortable position. "I think he did it because he loves me."

I looked over at Zoro again, and he rolled his eyes at my claim. Glaring, I slapped his arm lightly and continued. "Anyways, he saved me and brought me onto his weird...boat thing. There, he said that since I was so weak and he felt pity for me, he would train me to use swords and defend myself."

"So he offered the training? You didn't even ask for it, and he just gave it to you?" I nodded in response to both questions. "You said earlier that it didn't work out. What happened?"

I sighed and shrugged. "Someone like me isn't cut out for handling swords. I kept cutting myself on accident, and Mihawk finally got so frustrated that he told me to go away and that he never wanted to see me again. Of course, he still saves my ass sometimes, and it's his fault that I'm still considered a Supernova even though I sure as hell am _not _a rookie." With a shrug, I got up off my ass and gathered my sack into my arms. "And that's the story of Mihawk... Do you have any other questions? If not, then I would like to get out of here."

Zoro stood with a grunt and yawned. "No, that was all I wanted to know." I nodded, putting a hand on my hip as he got a confused look on his face. "Well, could you actually show me how to get back to Grove One? I need a nap..."

"Walk that way, and keep going straight. You should get there eventually." I pointed to where I had come from and he nodded, walking off with a wave. "See you around, moss head?"

He looked back with a glare and shook his head. "Yeah, yeah, I'll see you whenever I do...plant girl." I sweat dropped at this. Not due to the fact that it was a super lame comeback that only _he _could think of, but because he sounded so confident in saying it. In any case, I let it go since a man like him needed to keep his pride.

Dusting my clothes off and fixing them so that they were straight, I started off to my destination from the moment I stepped foot on the Archipelago a few hours ago. With a determined look in my eye, I started off to the edge of Grove Ten.

* * *

**I wanna say something real quick! I am trying hard to explain my character and her relationships in the best way that I can, but if it's still not making sense, let me know and I'll do something to fix that. I want this story to be good, so I want to make sure that I have everything right.**


	7. Meeting in A Shady Place

**So, I must really suck since I am already having problems making up my mind on how I want this story to go. First I want it to go one way, but then I change my mind and have to change a **_**whole lotta sheeeeit! **_**In any case, I am really trying to get a chapter out every day, but that will most likely not happen, so just...bear with me (/.\)**

**DISLAIMER: ME NO OWN ONE PIECE!**

* * *

Chapter Seven

_Fury's Bar and Inn_

The place didn't look too...nice to put it nicely. The paint was peeling off all over the building, and it seemed that the place had seen too many years. I couldn't tell what the original color was, but there were glimpses of what I think were yellow and maybe some green.

Or maybe that was mold...

The door and windows weren't looking too hot either. One window was busted through completely, and it must have happened recently from the glass that was piled on the ground outside of it. Another had boards over it, but I couldn't tell if it was busted as well.

The door wasn't really a door anymore. It was more of a...well...it was hanging by its corner, okay! It seemed that if someone so much as walked by too fast and let a gust of wind hit it then the thing would fall to the ground.

If anything, this place sure did _look _like somewhere that you wanted to have secret meetings.

Taking a deep breath of what could possibly be the freshest air I would get for however long this took, I stepped up and grabbed the door—which was stronger than it looked—and entered the bar.

If the stench of the place wasn't overwhelming, then the amount of people in there sure as hell was. I don't see how they put up with it without scrunching up their noses and gagging. The air was a mixture between fish, sweat, alcohol, sex, and...

There was also a hint of cat fart in the air.

Men were lined up at the bar, taking drinks from huge mugs that were literally bigger than my head. And trust me, when we were little, Ace and Luffy would make fun of how big my head was, so you know that those mugs were _ginormous! _The men also littered tables around the bar, drinking from the same mugs while some of them were eating something that looked kind of green and nasty.

I think it was meat...

A lone woman was walking around the tables, balancing a tray that looked too damn big for someone as small as me, but for her, they seemed normal sized. She was rather...buff... Her arms were nearly as big as the green haired Zoro, but not nearly as big as the blue haired cyborg Franky. If those weren't scary enough to look at, she seriously had a man's face. Her cheeks were concave while her neck muscle put even Franky to shame. The cigar in her mouth and the way she was frowning with it clenched in her teeth reminded me of a certain cigar-smoking Marine that was travelling the seas at this very moment.

And when this woman's eyes turned to me, I saw that the hazel orbs looked annoyed and ready to punch someone in the face.

"Well, what the hell d'you want, woman?" My mouth opened, but then it close again, so I ended up gaping like a fish out of water. She sighed and scratched her head, which was bald I might add. "If ya aint gonna talk, the least ya can do is close the damn door."

I looked behind me with a frown at the obviously broken door, but decided that I should at least move it around to make it seem like I was closing it. So, gripping the wooden 'door', I kind of pulled it towards me.

I was thoroughly surprised when I heard the door actually make the _click _noise, indicating that it had closed. What the hell...?

"Hey girlie, I'm talkin' to ya!" I jumped and turned back to the muscular man-woman, trying not to look as scared of her as I was. She gestured with her shiny head to a stair case that was behind the bar. What was she trying to tell me? Go upstairs? I don't wanna...

Upon further inspection, I saw who I was supposed to be meeting here waiting behind the bar, a grin on his stupid face as he conversed with the people around him. His red hair was tied up in its usual intricate braid that I could never copy, and his piercing green eyes were laughing along with his mouth. I could see that his style hadn't changed much since the last time I had seen him, since he still seemed to like to wear a _lot _of blue.

Not the dark blue that could almost pass as black.

No...

He wore such a bright blue that no matter where he went, that idiot stuck out likes the sorest thumb in a sore thumb competition.

Shaking my head and nodding in thanks to the man-woman, who nodded back before continuing what looked like a heated discussion with a man that looked very scrawny beside her, I started to cross the room to the bar. Nobody paid any attention to me. I mean, why would they? It's not like they _knew _that I was about to discuss some crazy shit with the eccentric man that I, for some reason, called my friend.

"Well, if it isn't the most beautiful Devil in the entire world!" I growled at his way of greeting me, squeezing past some very...large...men and standing beside him behind the bar. He squealed like a girl and hugged me as tight as he could while effectively cutting off my air supply for a brief moment. "How have you been, Mara?"

I hadn't seen the extravagant man since my last time on the Archipelago when he informed me of the slave auctions that took place. I met him in Grove One, and he quickly became a friend. When I was discovered that he was great at tracking people, I asked him to keep his eyes on Raven for me, and he happily obliged. When I was taken by the Marines, he must have figured out on his own that the man there was Raven, and he continued to watch him even when I was in prison.

I snorted at the question and he gave me a look that meant he already knew the answer. "I'm sure you've seen the papers." I explained anyway, and he nodded. "Well Marue, is there a reason that I got a mysterious message written in blood that told me to meet you here?"

His laughed resonated around the whole room, but he didn't really answer my question. Instead, he grabbed my hand and led me around the bar and out into the room. He went to a table and asked that man-woman to bring us some beer. "Well, I feel as though I should explain that it was red paint. But you have to admit, it was pretty amazing, huh?"

"It was stupid and pointless." I responded in a monotone voice, not wanting to admit to him or anyone that it was pretty fucking amazing. He had a scroll lying on the ground, and when I passed it, he set it off and the message splattered all over the cliff face that I was next to.

It scared the shit outta me, but it was awesome.

Marue had tears streaming down his face, muttering about how I didn't appreciate him at all. When I slapped my hand down on the table to get his attention, his smile returned as fast as it disappeared. "Mara, I have some excellent news for you!" Quirking a brow, I rested my cheek against my open palm and gestured with my other hand for him to continue. "Y'see, I asked around about that guy you told me about from that one time. You remember, right? That Rambo guy that—"

"His name is Raven." I corrected, cutting off his ramblings that I knew would go on forever if I didn't intervene. "If you don't know his name, then are you sure that you've been keeping tabs on the right guy?"

Marue scoffed and put his hand to his heart, as if he were appalled that I would say something like that. "Mara, why I never—after everything I have don't for you, you seem to—" The glare I gave him stopped his sentence, and he cleared his throat before continuing. "Anyway, I know for a fact that he is no long here, and that I have no idea where he is now."

I swear, if I could just kill him right now, I would. He was too valuable for that, though. I needed him to keep tabs on Raven for me while I did my own searching.

So, instead of killing him, I simply reached across the table and grabbed that braid of his, pulling his face closer to mine. He yelped and grabbed at my hands, but when he saw the look of his impending doom in my eyes, his actions stilled and fear came into his eyes.

"How in the _fuck _were you keeping tabs on him, and now you don't know where he is? Why would you tell me to come here if you don't know where he _fucking _is?" My voice was deathly quiet, and I think that he got the hint that I was pissed. "If you're gonna be a waste of my time and not offer any help, then I will be more than happy to kill you right now."

It was obviously an empty threat, but a very effective one.

Marue held his hands in front of himself as if to plead for me to release my death grip on his braid, but I wasn't calmed down enough for that. He got the hint. "Listen Mara, you didn't let me finish!" He gave a nervous laugh, but his words caught my interest. "Y'see, I don't know where he is right now—Wait!" He yelped when my hand tightened its hold, bringing us to the attention of a few people who were around us. "Let me finish, sweet Devil! I do know that he is making a move soon to go after you again."

I released him now, which he seemed to be extremely grateful for. After crying a little bit and fixing that damned braid, I started to talk. "How do you know this?"

"He made it pretty damn clear with the way he reacted to your escape making the front page." My face took on a grim look, and I cast my eyes down to my clenched fists that were resting on the table. Marue reached across as if he wanted to comfort me, but thought better of it and played it off like he was flicking something off the table.

The man-woman brought out drinks then, and Marue chugged his like there was no tomorrow.

"When...?" I asked after a few moments of silence. He looked across at me, his brow going up, so I repeated my question. "When is he going to come after me?"

For a few minutes, Marue didn't say anything, and I was ready to believe that he had no idea when Raven was going to come after me. He was gnawing at his lip, apparently in deep thought as he twiddled his thumbs and kept his eyes focused on my face. I made a face, trying to urge him to answer my question, but he just bit harder into his lip, breaking the skin.

Was it really that bad?

Finally, after drinking the rest of his beer and taking mine, he answered my question.

"He...he's gonna come after you when you're at your weakest..."

My whole world fell away and a million thoughts went through my mind all at once. Was he going to start attacking the people I love now? Was Luffy in danger? What about Ace? My allies and friends were probably in trouble as well if that was the case...

My heart started to beat faster at the realization that, while travelling with Luffy and his crew, I had inadvertently put all of their lives in jeopardy along with mine. I was such a terrible sister. I couldn't even keep my baby brother out of trouble when we were young, and now I can't save him from people from my own past.

Placing my face in my palms, I thought of the many ways I could try and save the people I love. In all of these thoughts, one thing was for sure.

With a raise of my hand, I called over the man-woman, who seemed thoroughly annoyed with my obnoxious gestures. "Can I have the strongest alcohol you have here?" Marue raised a brow, but I shrugged meekly and waited patiently for my order. "There's no point in thinking about this anymore, so I plan to...get my mind off of it."

"You're gonna get drunk." It wasn't necessarily a question, but I felt as though he wanted an answer. So, with a large grin on my face and my hands slamming on the table, I nodded my head enthusiastically.

Marue seemed to be frightened by the look on my face.

* * *

**A/N: REVIEWS ARE REALLY NICE AND THEY MAKE MY DAY WHEN I GET TO READ THEM! KEEP THEM COMING AND I'LL KEEP WRITING ^_^**


	8. Drunk and Injured

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF ONE PIECE**

**I ALSO DO NOT OWN THE SONG THAT MARA SINGS, THAT IS CALLED **

**"15 Men on a Dead Man's Chest" - Robert Louis Stevenson and Young E. Allison**

**ENJOY MY CHAPTER DOEEEE ^_^**

* * *

Chapter Eight

"_Do you want me to walk you to a hotel?"_

_ Marue sat at the table we had been sitting at for the past two hours, another mug in his hand that was filled with whatever we had been drinking nonstop. His eyes were glass and his face was a color red that nearly put his own hair to shame. He was resting his head on his arms as a makeshift pillow, and quite frankly, he looked a little worse than I think I did._

_ Shaking my head, I stumbled to the door and pried it open, hissing against the suns glare as it penetrated my brown eyes. "I got this, Marue! Don't worry about me—I'm a Supernova!"_

_ I started off into the forest, ignoring the goodbyes of the people in the bar that I had talked to. My head hurt too much...I just wanted to go to sleep..._

Looking back now, I kind of regretted telling Marue no about walking with me. I tried to find something that looked familiar, but with my head in a daze, I couldn't really focus on what was around me. I still had a mug in my hand, which I stole from the man-lady with a smirk on my face, and it was running low on whatever she put in it.

I stumbled through the trees, wondering how in the hell I got so lost on my way to a hotel, but I didn't really see it as a problem at the time.

I was feeling too good about life at the moment.

Taking a long swig of the Sake in my mug, I started laughing and singing to myself a song that I used to hear a lot when I was growing up.

"Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum,

Fifteen men on a dead man's chest,

Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum,

Drink and the devil had done with the rest,

Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum..."

I stumbled and bumped into a tree, knocking myself on my ass with a good natured laugh. Who knew that being piss drunk was so...fun? Standing up and brushing off my shorts, I continued my journey to find a hotel, continuing my song along the way.

"The mate was fixed by a bosun's pike,

The bosun brained with a marlinspike

And cookey's throat was marked belike,

It had been gripped by fingers ten,

And there they ley, all good dead men

Like break o'day in a boozing pen..."

As I got to this part, I was nearing a place that seemed a little...off. There was smoke coming from Lord knows where, and I had a feeling that if I continued on my way, something bad would happen. Although, in my drunken state of mind, I continued towards it anyway, determined to take the path I chose and finish my song.

"Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum,

Fifteen men of the whole ship's list,

Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum,

Dead and be damned and the rest gone whist,

Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum,

The skipper lay with his nob in gore,

Where the scullion's axe in his cheek had shore,

And the scullion he was stabbed four times four,

And there they lay in the soggy skies,

Dripped all day long in up-staring eyes,

At murk sunset and at foul sunrise..."

The sounds of a fight were getting closer, but I simply continued to smile and walk on my merry way to where I believed the hotel was. Am I really an idiot, or do the booze really have this strong of effect on the brain? IN any case, I stumbled about three more times, the sounds of the fight right next to me now as I finished the last of my Sake and threw the mug to the ground.

I swept through the trees, coming right in the middle of the fight that I had been hearing, but not looking around to see what was going on and who was involved. Instead, I threw my arms up in the air and, with a big goofy grin on my face, I shouted at the top of my lungs:

"YO HO HO AND A BOTTLE OF RUM—"

I was knocked to the ground as I belted out the last note of the song by a pair of arms. I didn't really know what was happening. All I knew was that one moment I am singing the best song in the world, and then I'm eating dirt with a large person on top of me.

From the grunt that elicited from said persons mouth, I had reason to believe that it was a male.

The breath was knocked from me and I felt as though I would have some bruises from how hard we hit the ground, but all of that was forgotten when a bright light that looked like it would kill someone passed over me and the other person.

"Fucking Christ, Mara..." My eyes widened at the familiar voice, and when the person allowed me to roll over so that I was lying on my back beneath them, the first thing I saw was red hair. Next were those damned amber eyes that were always mocking me, and then that smirk that seemed to say 'Hey, you're a fucking dumbass!'

Growling, with my drunkenness now forgotten, I put my hands on his chest and pushed him off of me, sitting up while he stood beside me. "What the hell are you doing here, Kidd?"

Eustass 'Captain' Kidd rolled his eyes and started to walk back to the fight that was going on. I observed my surroundings as I stood, and spotted something that I never thought I would see.

The Kidd Pirates, led by Kidd (obviously) were fighting the Pacifista Bartholomew Kuma alongside the Heart Pirates, led by none other than Trafalgar Law, also known as the 'Surgeon of Death.' Didn't Kidd hate Law, or was that just my imagination that had me thinking this?

Kuma turned his attention to me, staring down at my form from his twenty-two foot height, his face—as always—void of an expression. "Mara 'The Devil', what are you doing here?"

Trafalgar Law looked to me then, just noticing my presence in the battlefield. His brow quirked up and he had a smirk on his face that sent chills down my spine, and not in a good way.

Dusting myself off from the tumble with Kidd, I raised my head to look him in his odd eyes and put my hands on my hips. "I was simply here to take in the sights of the Archipelago, but now I got my shirt all dirty and it's your fault Mister Kuma." With a nod of my head, I made sure that I had a very angry expression on my face.

"Since you are here, I guess I will have to kill three of the Supernovas." I lowered my hands and clenched them into fists, ready to fight if I needed to. "I will have gotten rid of the two with the highest bounties as well, which is quite an achievement."

Before he could even make a move, I unclenched my fists and lifted them into the air so that my palms were parallel to the ground. Kuma opened his mouth, readying one of those beams that would destroy anything in its path. Vines spiraled from the ground and into my open and ready palms, hardening into a spear that was very sharp at the tip.

The beam shot out, but I was quick and smart enough to move out of the way at the last minute, nearly bumping into the 'Surgeon of Death'. That smirk was on his face, but I didn't have time to pay attention to him at the moment.

Using my Devil Fruit powers, I threw the spear made of vines at Kuma's left shoulder, allowing it to pass over the large man.

"What the hell are you doing you idiot!" Kidd shouted from his place a few feet from where I was standing. "You missed, you bitch!" I shook my head with a smile, watching as the vine that was attached to the end of the spear wrapped around Kuma's body like a rope. The large man didn't struggle, and I knew it wouldn't hold someone as strong as him for too long, so I was going to take my leave while I had time.

Turning my back as the vines did their work, I noticed that Law still had that smirk while Kidd was frowning and glaring at me. "Well, I'm getting out of here while I can." I yawned, covering my mouth with my hand as I started to walk off in the direction I was originally heading. I lifted my hand in farewell, though I didn't turn back to face the pirates behind me. "You guys can stay here, but I have shit to do."

"All you're gonna do is sleep..." Kidd mumbled this behind me, but I heard him and flipped him off, earning a laugh and a threat. "Keep disrespecting me and I'll kill you, Devil." Flipping him off with my other hand as well, I continued to walk.

With my back turned, I could never have expected what happened next.

I had just taken a step over a tree root that was extremely high for no reason. I was trying to get the dirt off my shorts from when I took my tumble with Kidd, and I was pissed at him for knocking into me and making us fall to the ground together. My mind started to wander to the hotel and how warm and cozy my bed would be. I started to get a pounding headache, and I knew that I would have a killer hangover in the morning.

All of this distracted me from the warning behind me to look out.

When I did hear the voices and turned around, it was too late.

A beam was heading straight for me, and I knew I wouldn't be able to dodge in time. Instead, I pulled my hands up and started to make a shield made from my vines, hoping that it would somewhat protect me.

I wasn't ready to die! At least not like this! I would much rather have died at the hands of a Marine than at the hands of a Pacifista like Kuma.

The shield didn't complete in time, and the beam hit into my exposed body.

It was really warm, so warm that it felt...cold. I felt like my flesh was burning off of my body and my bones felt so weak all of a sudden. I think I screamed, but in all of the confusion from the yelling of the pirates and the loud ringing in my ears, I couldn't be sure.

I was vaguely aware of my body hitting the ground and my muscles twitching slightly. I could feel that I was bleeding profusely from a few different places, and I kind of figured that I was bleeding from almost everywhere. When I opened my eyes, black dots swam in my vision and everything looked so...white.

A white thing came into my field of vision, but I couldn't make out what it was since I couldn't really see anything. The white thing seemed to have orange on it as well, and I noticed that it was getting closer to my face.

Am I dying? Is this the demon that had come to take me to Hell?

I say hell because someone like me could never go to Heaven.

They don't call me a Devil for no reason after all.

Now I was aware of being carried at a very fast pace, and with every jostle of my body, a new wave of pain spread through my entire body. I think I was clenching onto something soft, and I was trying to tell whoever was carrying me to put me down because it hurt so badly, but I couldn't speak.

Even trying to talk hurt so bad that tears sprung to my eyes.

There was more yelling, and I could barely make out what was being said. My ears weren't working right from the sound of the beam hitting me, and even though the ringing had stopped, everything still sounded...wrong.

"I need to...stable condition...dying...how she even survived...?"

I was cold.

I was hot.

I was tired.

I was cold.

I was so cold.

My eyes opened again—when had they closed? I saw bright lights above me and some people were running around where I was lying down. Who were these people? I couldn't make out the blurs, but most of them seemed to be wearing the same color...

A hand touched a part of my body and a scream wrenched from my throat. It hurt so bad, like putting your hand on an open flame and keeping it there. I thrashed around and tried to get away, but arms came to hold me down. Were they protecting me from myself? Or were they protecting themselves from me?

In any case, I knew one thing was for sure.

I was dying.

And it was all Bartholomew Kuma's fault.

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**[A/N:] Okay, I know, I am a complete asshole! I haven't updated in forever, and I know that the whole world hates me now. I have been sick though, and I have had a lot of AP work for school, so that's my excuse! I promise, I will try to get another chapter this weekend, but don't hold me to it! Since I didn't write for so long, I decided to bring Law into this chapter so make it up to my wonderful readers.**

**I love all of you and I hope that one day, in the near future, you will forgive me for being a terrible author and you will keep reading my story.**

**Love you! XoXoXoXoXoXoXo**


	9. New Surroundings

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ONE PIECE.**

**I'm not really too pleased with how this chapter turned out, but after re-writing it like ten times, this was the best I could do without making it sound like the story was going FULL RETARD.**

**ANYWAYSSSSSSSSS... Enjoy =^_^=**

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Chapter Nine

I had been lying in the same position for about an hour, staring up at the same light fixture for the same amount of time. From the way the room seemed to rock back and forth, I believe that I was out at sea and not on land like I hoped I would have been. Sometimes, I could hear voices drifting to where I was ever once in a while. None of these voices sounded familiar, and that was a little disappointing.

When I first woke up, I had observed myself from my prone position on the bed I was on. I was a mummy—my arms were wrapped, my legs were wrapped, my chest and stomach were wrapped, and the whole left side of my face and head were wrapped as well. It only made sense that the damage was this extensive. I mean, I was hit by a Pacifista's beam for crying out loud.

It was a good thing that I remembered what happened. Being on a stranger's ship with amnesia would have been a formula for disaster. When I first woke up, I hoped that Luffy and his crew had found me, but when I saw the metal walls and medical equipment that looked too expensive for Chopper to have on their ship, I was disappointed.

Since it's not Chopper's infirmary, then I am on a stranger's ship.

I am also on the sea, and not at land.

This, in conclusion, means I am no longer on the Archipelago with Luffy.

I sighed, taking in to account the pain that rattled through my chest. It felt like little needles were stabbing into my heart, and it was enough to bring tears to my eyes. Of course I didn't let them spill. I was a Supernova. I wasn't allowed to cry anymore.

I listened to the sounds of the foreign ship and stared at that light fixture that continued to flicker every once in a while. I then realized that someone was coming.

The sounds of booted footsteps against a metal floor were the first indication that someone was approaching where I was. I didn't notice it at first, since I thought it just went with the sound of the metal clangs that seemed to be natural on the ship.

The only thing that tipped me off was the loud laugh, accompanied by a loud smack that made me wince. I knew that it had to hurt.

"...and then she said 'would that be crash or credit, sexy man?'!" The voice was loud and took on a voice that was assumed to be a woman's, sounding high yet low and sultry at the same time. I'll admit—whoever this guy was, he could imitate a woman's voice.

There was a snort, and I knew that since I was beginning to be able to make out what the voices were saying and the small sounds, then they were really close to the room I was in.

"I don't know who you're trying to fool." The voice sounded like a male's as well, and he seemed to be a little...exasperated. "What woman in her right mind would call _you _a _sexy man_?" As soon as I started to wonder what the hell brought this conversation up between the two men, the door swung open.

The first man to step in was in the middle of saying something back to whoever was behind him when he noticed I was staring at him and froze. He wore a black hat with a yellow brim and a red pompom on the top, the word 'PENGUIN' on the front. From the position of his hat, I couldn't make out his eyes. He looked to be about average height, but he didn't seem to have any fashion sense since he was wearing a pair of beige overalls. A Jolly Roger was stitched to the left breast of the horrendous piece of clothing, and I couldn't quite place where I had seen it before.

Another man entered behind him, and he seemed to be more...bulky...than the 'PENGUIN' man. He wore a hat as well of the same style, but instead of it being black and yellow with a red pompom, it was just black with no added on frilly things. There were also no words on his hat. From what I could see, he had light brown hair and brown eyes to match. He wore the same overalls as the other man; the same Jolly Roger stitched in the same place, so I now assumed that they weren't horrible dressers and actually had to wear it as a uniform.

Both men were frozen in place and staring at me, mouths agape and—in black hat's case—eyes wide. I waited patiently for someone to say something, but when it became apparent that they were in too much shock, I cleared my throat and took the initiative.

"Hello there." My voice was raspy from not being used for a while, but I gave a sort of half-smile, lifting my hand about an inch off the bed as my way of waving. I was severely restricted from the IVs that were sticking into my arm, but I at least made an attempt. When there was still no response from the two men that looked like deer caught in the headlights, I sighed heavily. "When you two get your motor skills back, maybe you'd like to tell me where the hell I am."

It took them longer than I expected for the two to learn how to speak again. Black Hat was the first one to speak, clearing his throat and standing straight, composing his face and body. His 'PENGUIN' friend seemed to be having a hard time, so Black Hat slapped him on the back of his head, knocking the smaller man to the ground.

"We didn't expect you to be awake already." Black Hat explained, stepping over his friend and grabbing a chair. He dragged it beside my bed and sat on it backwards; resting his arms where a normal person's back and head would have been resting. "Captain said you should be asleep for about a week from your injuries, so I didn't think you would be up when we came in to check your vitals."

I nodded the best I could, finding resistance from the bandages that were wrapped around me. Apparently, they were wrapped on my neck as well, which made moving it very difficult. "Well, as you can see, I am wide awake and have been for a while." I didn't mean to sound snarky, but I was kind of hungry and frustrated that I didn't know where I was.

Black Hat held up his hands in a sarcastic show of surrender, rolling his eyes as he did so. I glared at him, realizing that our eyes were actually almost identical in the shade of brown. I wondered if, like my own, his became a lighter color when he was upset...

"What the hell, Nate!" Our identical sets of eyes shot over to where 'PENGUIN' was getting up from the floor, angrily pointing at Black Hat, who was now named Nate. 'PENGUIN'S' face was actually very comical—from what I could see of it. He was yelling about how it was unfair for someone as big as Nate to push him around, but Nate just ignored him and looked back to me.

He had a hard look on his face as he looked over the parts of my body that weren't covered with the white blanket. Then his eyes went to the monitors and machines that were beside my bed, all the while nodding to his head. "Well, everything seems to be fine for now." I took that as a wonderful sign and nodded in understanding. "I think we should tell—"

"...and now you're ignoring me, aren't you?" The other man in the room sighed in defeat before coming to my bedside, moving to the other side just to avoid Nate, and smiled down at me. "Hello, my name is Penguin."

I was glad that one of them actually introduced themselves to me, so I smiled big and nodded to Penguin. "Well, my name is Mara."

Nate looked shocked. "So _that's _your name!" I cocked a brow, although I'm not sure he could tell that was what I did. "I asked the Captain, but he wouldn't answer and just gave me that smirk that meant he knew something I didn't know!"

Penguin nodded wholeheartedly in agreement. "Yup, he did the same thing for me. It's weird how his smirk can just change like that..." He shivered, as if the memory itself was giving him a weird feeling. "I just wonder why he wouldn't tell us who you were..."

Nate put a finger to his chin, and Penguin copied to movement. They both seemed so deep in thought and confused that I nearly laughed.

Mind you I said nearly.

"Well, it beats me!" Nate was the first to give up on the mystery as he threw his hands up in the air. "I think we should tell the Captain that you're up, though."

This statement brought me back to what I had wanted to know and, as Nate was standing up from his chair, I spoke up. "So, are you gonna tell me where I am and who your Captain is before you go and tell him that I'm awake?"

"You mean you have no idea where you are or who saved you?" Penguin asked innocently from his spot beside my bed, a frown pulling at his features. "Oh my..."

Nate just laughed, and he laughed _hard. _He had to grab his sides and tears were welling up in the corners of his eyes. I growled at his reaction, not really understanding what the hell was so funny.

"Look," I demanded, clenching my teeth together and resisting the urge to ball my hands into fists so I didn't hurt myself. "If you're just gonna laugh at me and not answer the question, the get the fuck out."

Penguin walked over and slapped Nate on the back of his head, like the latter had done to him earlier, but the bigger man didn't seem to notice. Instead, he slapped a hand on Penguin's shoulder and started laughing even harder. "I don't think Nate's ever laughed this hard before..."

"I'm _so _glad that I can offer fucking comedy hour." I muttered sarcastically, waiting as his laughs died down slowly.

Nate finally was just chuckling, wiping his eyes and clenching his stomach. "Woo, girl, you are a funny one! You're so damn _dumb_! I can't believe that you have been lying here awake for...how long did you say?"

I didn't say in the first place, but I decided to answer nonetheless. "An hour..."

He bit his lip and brought a hand up to cover his mouth, choking down more laughs. "You've been awake for an hour, just lying there, and not knowing if you had been captured by Marines or that Pacifista."

"I knew it wasn't any of them because the Marines wouldn't have bandaged me, and Kuma would have made sure I was dead."

Nate continued on like I hadn't said anything. Penguin left the room, no doubt getting the Captain that I still didn't know about. "Then you don't even try to escape or anything, but you just sit there and calmly have a conversation with some people who are _obviously _part of a pirate crew."

"I'm a pirate too!" Now he acknowledged that I spoke, and he seemed surprised that I lived a life of piracy as well. "Now, tell me whose ship I'm on before I beat your ass!"

He grinned and pointed to the Jolly Roger on his left breast. "This is the Jolly Roger of the Heart Pirates." The name seemed familiar, but my brain wasn't working at full speed right now. "The captain of the Heart Pirates is none other than the Supernova Trafalgar Law, also known as the 'Surgeon of Death'."

My heart sunk and I thought back to the battle that happened. Of course, I was on _his _ship. Why couldn't Kidd have taken me with him, or even Luffy? I had never met the man personally, but I heard from some sources that Trafalgar Law was one of the most sadistic pirates among the rookies. He was in the leagues with Kidd on being crazy, and that was really saying something.

I can remember that I heard his voice—at least I think it was his voice—warning me about the attack before it hit me. Kidd was yelling too, and I believe that Killer was shouting for me to 'fucking move before I die like an idiot'. I don't remember seeing much after I was blasted, but I do know that a blur of orange and white lifted me off the ground. I also woke up a few times when I was being bandaged, but my vision was still blurry, so I could only make out that there were people and that they were wearing clothes.

"You should see the look on your face right now!" Nate's loud laughter brought me from my thoughts, and he was pointing at me from his spot beside the machines. I glared again, hoping that it would scare him into shutting up.

It didn't work.

His laughter wasn't as bad as before—it was more like a chuckle now. But that didn't mean that it wasn't annoying. "You look like you just heard that you're on a ghost ship!"

"Ghost ships aren't as bad as this, and I know someone on a friend's crew that lived on a ghost ship for about fifty years." Nate looked shocked and kind of scared. Of course I was talking about the panty-loving Brook from Luffy's crew. He was technically _alive _during those whole fifty years, but I just wanted Nate to believe it so he would shut up.

Time seemed to stretch forever, and I was dreading when Penguin would come back with that sadistic man that called himself a doctor.

"What's so bad about the Captain?" I gave Nate a look that asked him what _wasn't _wrong with his Captain, and he was quick to defend his question. "I mean, he was kind enough to save you and all and you're all bandaged up. He's really not that bad of a guy. So what's wrong with being on his ship?"

I sighed and closed my eyes. "I have heard so many stories and I'll admit that I don't know how many of them are true, but it still freaks me out. I also know about his Devil Fruit that allows him to cut people up and keep them alive in the process."

"Well, you seem pretty damn informed."

I opened my eyes and smiled. "I have a lot of powerful friends. They know how to get information." When Nate inquired about who my friends were, I just shook my head and closed my eyes again, awaiting my sure death that would come at the hands of Trafalgar Law. I closed my eyes again, enjoying the darkness behind my lids.

After a few minutes, the sounds of footsteps invaded my ears. The sounds almost blended in with the natural sounds of the ship, which reminded me of how I almost missed the footsteps of Nate and Penguin earlier. This time, there was no banter going on between the people who were walking towards the room I was in.

There was only silence.

I held my breath as the footsteps got closer, and I nearly peed my pants when the seemed to stop right outside the door. It seemed to take an eternity for the door knob to twist around, showing that the door was being opened.

It seemed to take another eternity for the door to swing open. I kept my eyes closed, which helped me listed in on everything that happened, so I didn't miss the chuckle that came from near the doorway. There were some more footsteps and some shuffling, and then the door closed with a distinct _click._

My breath that I had been holding came out shakily as those footsteps approached my bedside. I heard Nate get up from his chair, and then someone else sat in it, pulling it closer to the bed than it had been before. Why wasn't anyone talk—

"You didn't fall asleep again, did you Miss Mara?"

My eyes snapped open and I cut them over to where the voice came from, coming face to face with the Surgeon of Death himself, Trafalgar Law.

_Oh God...kill me now..._

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**A/N: Next chapter will obviously have more Law in it than these last two, which I'm sure some of my readers will enjoy. Sorry if you hated this chapter, but I will try to have the next one make up for it.**

**I kept my promise of another chapter this weekend—I feel like an accomplished person!**

**Make sure you review and favorite...if you like the story that is... I mean, I don't want you to favorite something that you think it shit.**

**LOVES YOU GUYS =^_^=**


	10. The Doctor

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ONE PIECE...STILL**

**[A:N] It came to my attention that I should have pointed something out in the last chapter, and that thing really caused some confusion with some of my readers.**

**NATE IS MY OWN PERSONAL OC.**

**Shachi is not Nate—Shachi will make an appearance in the next chapter, along with more OC's.**

**The only characters of the Heart Pirates that Oda owns are Law, Bepo, Penguin, and Shachi. Everyone else you meet will be my OC's.**

**Okay, please enjoy this chapter!**

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Chapter Ten

Of course I had seen what Trafalgar Law looks like before. I mean, who hasn't seen his wanted posters? And I did see him briefly before Kuma blasted me. As I saw him up close and personal, I realized how...handsome he was.

Now, I'm not saying that I was about to declare my love for this man and throw myself at him, then kick out the two guys that were standing near the door so we could fuck. No, I was just observing his features as he looked over the monitors and scribbled some stuff on a clipboard.

The first thing I saw—which I'm sure is the first thing that _everyone _sees—was the fuzzy polka-dot hat that rested on his head. I found it a little odd and childish for someone like him to wear with the reputation he had, but to each his own I guess. Under that hat peeked out some black hair, complete with side burns and a small beard patch on his chin.

Next I moved to his eyes, which were a nice shade of grey. Under those eyes were dark circles, like he had never heard of the term 'sleep' before. Altogether, he had a nice face, but his smell was something that I didn't really like.

He smelled of disinfectant and, well, he just smelled like a hospital. I came accustomed to that smell when I was very young, since I was always getting hurt because of my siblings. Right when Law sat next to me, I got a huge whiff of the smell that clung to his yellow hoodie and blue jeans.

"Alright Miss Mara, tell me—do you feel any pain anywhere?"

I was brought from my thoughts by Law's voice. I looked back at his face, seeing that he had that smirk on his face that Penguin and Nate mentioned earlier. I looked back to the door just to see if they were still standing there—which they were. The two of them were being too quiet though compared to earlier, and Penguin was making faces at Nate—thinking the bigger man couldn't see.

Penguin sure got a shock when Nate punched him in the arm.

"Miss Mara, are you going to make me repeat myself?" His voice held the tone of an unspoken threat and, on instinct; I glared at him from my spot on the bed. His smirk grew, but I saw the dangerous glint in his eyes. "I suggest you wipe that look on your face, Miss Mara. I wouldn't want you to get injured any more than you already are."

Gnawing on the inside of my cheek, I looked away from his face and looked back at the light fixture that held my gaze for an hour earlier. I decided that I didn't like Trafalgar Law, and I really wanted to get off his ship. "I feel perfectly fine." I answered his question finally through clenched teeth.

"You feel perfectly fine?" He questioned me, as if he were trying to insinuate that I was lying to him. In truth, my chest kind of hurt, but that was it. "After all the injuries that you sustained, you feel 'perfectly fine'?"

With a long and loud dramatic sigh, I gave a twitch of my shoulder, meaning for it to be a shrug. "I have a pain in my chest when I breathe too deeply, but that's it. Nothing else hurts." I was trying to show gratitude for the man that saved my life, but he was being a major dick for no reason.

"That may be due to the pressure of the blow to your body." Law commented, nodding his head as he wrote more things on his clipboard. "I must say, you are one lucky woman to survive, Miss Mara."

I snorted, rolling my eyes to look at the man beside my bed. "I know how to stay alive." I lied, not mentioning that when I was hit I thought I was going to die. "When can I start to move around again? I have things to do that I need to get off this ship for."

I didn't miss the look of anger that flashed in his steely grey eyes, but I simply ignored it and looked at the doctor expectantly. "I will have to check on the status of your injuries. I haven't seen them myself yet."

"What do you mean you haven't seen them?" I asked, trying to keep the annoyance out of my voice. "You're the doctor, aren't you? I didn't mummify myself, did I?"

Nate, who had been quiet this whole time, made a noise suddenly. I looked over to the man and saw that he was shifting from foot to foot, looking like a nervous mess. "Mister Nathaniel did the honor of bandaging you while I looked after my crew." I assumed that 'Mister Nathaniel' was Nate, who seemed to look even guiltier when his name was said.

A thought occurred to me then, and I was trying to piece together why Nate looked so flushed and guilty. "Am I..." I looked from Nate to Law, scrunching my eyebrows together and frowning. "Am I completely naked under here?"

Law looked back at Nate, repeating the question for his subordinate. "N-No!" He defended himself, crossing his arms and getting more red-face. "You still have your bra and underwear on. I'm not a pervert like Penguin..." That last part got the smaller man worked up, and he hit Nate in the arm.

Things moved kind of fast and... Well, awkwardly after that. Law pulled the blanket off of me, rolling up at the foot of the bed so that he could have access to all the bandages. When that was done, he started on my face, rolling off the gauze that was on the left side of my face. They seemed to stick, most likely due to the blood that had come from the wound there, and that brought a hiss of pain as Law had to peel it off slowly.

"You'll have a scar..."

I felt kind of...sad. I tried hard to keep scars off my face—I didn't want to ruin my image. Sure, I had small ones from getting scratched by woman who couldn't use fists. I never once got cut on the face during my training with Mihawk. I kept my face clear of all scars—until now.

Law had been working on my neck and torso as I thought of how sad I was, and now it was uncovered, exposing the most unattractive black bra in the world. I didn't really have time to feel embarrassed about it when I put it on, but now I was kind of regretting not getting a sexy red one with frills and lacey material.

"You're injuries aren't that bad..." I looked down at my body when Law spoke these words, shocked to only find a few wounds that were stitched and a lot of small cuts and bruises. There was a particularly nasty looking wound on my right side, running from my hip to my breast. It made my stomach drop just looking at it, so I sat back and looked at the ceiling instead. "Mister Nathaniel..."

Nate sighed and stepped forward, his head hung low and his face as red as a tomato. Penguin, I noticed upon looking over, was lying on the floor, passed out from a nosebleed._ Pervert..._

"Care to explain why Miss Mara is so bandaged when her injuries are minor?"

Nate gnawed his lip, trying to look his Captain in the eye, but failing miserably when he looked away and focused on the wall like it had become the most interesting thing in the world. "Well...it wasn't my fault." He said quickly, gaining confidence and looking back at his Captain. "Y'see, Penguin said it would be a cool idea if we made her look like a mummy, so when she woke up, she would think...that..."

His story quickly died down as Law got a particularly murderous look in his eyes. I even gulped, afraid that everyone in the room was about to meet a horrible and painful death at the hands of an angry and insane doctor.

"You've wasted a lot of supplies." Nate nodded, looking down at his feet in defeat. "On the next island, _you _are doing a supply run all by yourself as punishment."

"But Captain, I—" He cut himself off, literally biting his tongue so he wouldn't incur the wrath of Trafalgar Law. "Yessir..."

Law nodded, turning back to me and finished taking the bandages off of my legs, which were only done on the thighs. I saw that those were only covered in minor scratches, and there was a large bruise the size of my fist on my left thigh.

Everything on me seemed to be fine actually, and I was giddy just thinking that I would be able to get off of this ship and go on my own to find Raven when—

_Grrrrmmbbbllll..._

I blushed, widening my eyes and bringing my less injured arm to cover my stomach. Law froze in his actions, looking down at me with a smirk and mirth in his eyes. Nate started to laugh, covering his mouth and trying to hide it when I gave him a glare. I tried to fight down the blush caused from them laughing at me, but I knew it painted my cheeks a nice shade of pink.

"Miss Mara, would you be hungry by any chance?" Law asked, knowing damn well what the answer was before the words were even out of his stupid mouth.

Nonetheless, I shook my head and smiled sheepishly. "I'm not hungry at all, I was just—" My stomach cried out again, as if it was saying 'No bitch, feed me!' I groaned, tightening my hold on my stomach a little so that I wouldn't hurt myself. "Well...I may be just a _tad bit _hungry..."

"Mister Nathaniel, when Miss Mara gets dressed and ready to come down, bring her to the galley for dinner. It should be ready in about twenty minutes, and I have questions I need to ask of her." I was a little peeved that Law was speaking about me like I wasn't in the room, but ignored it at the prospect of getting some food. I can't remember if I ate anything when I was hanging out with Marue, but from the way my stomach was literally eating itself, I would assumed that I hadn't.

Law left the room, dragging a reluctant Penguin with him who was complaining that he wanted to be the one to offer me clothes and bathe me. I didn't bother to call out that I wasn't bathing and that I was dressing myself, mainly because it was funny how disappointed he looked.

"Well, are you just gonna sit there all day, or are you gonna take these damn clothes from me?" I looked up at Nate, who was standing next to my bed red-face and holding something that looked like a pair of flannel pants and a large T-shirt. Frowning, I took the clothes from him and set them on my stomach, looking up at him expectantly. "What the hell are you looking at, freak?"

I frowned and held out a hand, holding the garments of clothing to my stomach with my other hand. "I need help up." I whispered it, not really liking the idea that I needed help from him. Nate was an asshole, and he acted like that on purpose. It really got on my nerves, and I think he knew that.

"Are you serious?" He bellowed, growing more red-faced, which I didn't even think was possible. What, had he never seen a woman in her undergarments before? After a short stare down, he relented and held put a hand, grabbing onto my own and pulling gently.

I rose to a sitting position. After I got that far, I scooted over rather painfully and let my feet hand over the edge of the bed, almost touching the floor. Nate helped pull me to my feet, trying to pull away right when I was standing up straight. I didn't allow that though—I wasn't used to being on my feet, and I was a little wobbly.

"Let me go you freak!" I smirked, steadying myself a moment longer before letting for of his large hand and giving him a grin. "You little..."

With a wink, I set the clothes I was given in his arms, which he looked pretty angry about. I took the shirt, pulling it over my head with a few difficulties. I think he noticed, but he had too much pride to offer assistance, and I had too much pride to ask for more help. After a few minutes of struggling with the white cotton shirt, I took the flannel pants and stepped into them just as painfully. It was hard to lift my legs the right way to get the pants on, and then it was even harder to pull them up without hurting my bruised thighs of the large wound on my side.

"Well," I said after I was finished, sounding way too out of breath. "That went by smoothly, didn't it?" There was sarcasm evident in my voice, to which Nate rolled his eyes to with a snort. "So, about the food on this ship..."

He raised a brow, crossing his arms over his chest as he started for the door, me hobbling slowly behind me for a moment. After I got used to walking, I started to look less pregnant with my walk and more like I just had a gimp foot. "What about it?" He asked when I didn't continue.

I looked back and forth once we were out the door, making sure that no one else was around. "You guys don't have any other women on here, do you?"

"How did you guess?" Nate asked with a chuckle, scratching the back of his head and yawning loudly.

I gave a one shoulder shrug, twisting my mouth up. "The way Penguin acts around me...it's like he hasn't seen a female in forever." Nate nodded, understanding my reasoning. "So, I have to ask about the food..." He looked down at me when I stopped, and he looked pretty pissed when I waved him over to get closer. When he stepped back, I gestured for him to lower his head towards mine so I could whisper in his ear. When he did, rather reluctantly, I asked in as quit a whisper as I could:

"The food tastes like shit, huh?"

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**Okay, I am totally NOT happy with how this turned out for most of it. I couldn't really think of a good way to transition from her being in the infirmary to her meeting everyone and being out and about on the Submarine.**

**And if you hate that it doesn't make sense as to why her wounds aren't as bad, more will be explained in the next chapter when he talks to Law.**

**K thanks, bye.**

**LOVES YOUS ^_^**

**XoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXo**


	11. Dinner Time

**[A/N] Okay, I wasn't even going to update this week because I'm on spring break in Missouri and the only place we have Wi-Fi is in the activity center, which we don't go to everyday. But, I figured that I would be disappointing you readers, so I decided that when we're not doing something vacation-like, I would work on my story. Not sure when I'll be able to update again, but please enjoy this chapter and keep reading ^_^**

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ONE PIECE**

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Chapter Eleven

The galley, for lack of a better word, was fucking ginormous! I didn't expect it to look like a cafeteria from a cliché high school, but that's exactly what it was. Nate informed me that the ship we were on was actually a submarine, and that was why everything on here was metal. I wasn't too thrilled by that little fact, but I guess there was nothing I could so about it. Nate explained that we would be surfacing tomorrow afternoon, and he told me that I shouldn't even think about swimming away because we're not even near an island.

I didn't bother to bring up the little fact that I couldn't swim anymore.

"Hmm... The Captain isn't even in here yet..." At Nate's words I looked up at the brown haired man. Following his line of sight, I spotted a rather comfy looking chair that seemed to be at the head of the whole galley. At the right of said chair was something that didn't really seem to fit in with everything else in the room.

Well, maybe I should say _it _didn't fit in with _everyone else _in the room.

Lifting my hand, I grabbed Nate's sleeve. He looked back at me with an annoyed grimace in his face, and he had obviously been walking away when I grabbed him.

"What the hell do you want, freak?"

I pulled him closer and whispered in his ear, trying not to draw too much attention to myself. "Is that...is that a _polar bear_?" Nate straightened up, looked over his shoulder at the white animal, and chuckled. With a small nod—which I assume was the answer to my question—he jerked his sleeve from my grip and grabbed my wrist, pulling me along. "Lemme go..." I grumbled, twisting my wrist in hopes of an escape.

Nate either didn't hear me or he ignored me. From my time spent with him, I guessed that it was probably the latter.

That was soon forgotten when we entered the line to get food, right behind a small group of men who were whispering to each other and looking back at me and Nate. I blushed, afraid that they were talking shit about me when I was right there. One man chuckled and pointed at Nate's face, and when I looked up, he was glaring down at me.

"What did I do this time?" I asked, making a reference to the numerous times that his glare was directed towards me on our trip to the galley. I started to glare back, but realized that this glare was...different. It was more of an analyzing glare than a pissed off glare. "Do I have something on my face?"

He shook his head and lifted a hand, putting it to my forehead. "Why is your face all red? Do you have a fever?" I puffed out my cheeks in anger and jerked my head away from his hand, bringing pain to my wounded face as I made a face. My blush darkened at the proximity of Nate, mainly because he was a rather handsome man and he, well, he _had _seen me in my bra and panties already, and that thought was stuck in my head now. "You're getting even redder..."

I lifted my hand, which he was still holding onto. "Maybe I'm embarrassed that you're putting our relationship out in the open already. I already told you Nate, just because you've practically seen me naked doesn't mean that I'm, ready for anything serious."

Now Nate had a bright red blush dusting his cheeks as he quickly let go of my wrist, facing forward so he wouldn't have to look at me. The men in front of us looked completely shocked, blood running down their noses at the mention of me being 'practically naked'.

I lifted my left hand to Nate's face, bringing the back of it down on his forehead. "Oh my... Nate, do you have a fever?" My voice was sickly sweet and condescending, which seemed to piss him off enough to rip my hand from his face and throw it down to my side.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it, okay?" I nodded; feeling satisfied that I embarrassed him. The line moved surprisingly fast and I barely registered that we had been moving up until I was suddenly grabbing a tray and getting something that looked and smelled like a pork chop being placed on it. The meat was followed by some veggies and a glass of water.

I looked up at the man that had served me, taking in the bald head and white beard, which was kind of parted in the middle, which I thought was odd. He had tattoos covering his neck and arms. I was left wondering if he had them covering his body, but I wouldn't ever want to find out unless I asked him. "So, yer the lass that was bein' takin' care of by the Cap'n then, yeah?"

The accent wasn't expected and it kind of scared me, but I plastered a smile on my face and nodded. "Yessir, I am that...lass..." The word was foreign coming from my mouth, but I rather liked it. "My name is Mara. What's yours?"

In my mind, he was a cool name like Jet or Steele.

"The name's Victor, lass." I hung my head in disappointment, sighing at the thought of not being able to call him Jet. "Y'know lass, tis quit a shame indeed..." I cocked a brow, suddenly aware that Nate had left me._ Asshole..._

"What's a shame, Victor?"

He nodded to my face with his shiny bald head—I think he shaved it and it wasn't naturally like that. He lifted his spatula, pointing to the left side of my face. "Such a beautiful face...and now tis ruined by that scar, lass."

I blushed, resembling the tomato that was sitting on the counter behind him. With a nod and a quick thank you, I scuttled away from the cook and into the midst of the eating men. Standing on my tip toes, I looked around the room for Nate. Hell, if I couldn't find him then I would settle for finding Penguin and sitting with that pervert. In any case, I wasn't about to sit somewhere with a complete stranger. Especially not on a ship full of horny, perverted men...

"What's a woman doing on the ship...?"

"...I heard that she slept with the Captain _and _Nate..."

"Look at that ass!"

My eyebrow twitched at the numerous comments floating around my head, and I had to restrain myself from punching someone in the throat. After walking around some tables and avoiding eye contact with every man in the room, I found Nate sitting with a few other men.

I had never really bothered to study him before as a woman, but now that he was around other men, I saw that he was actually one of the better looking men. I mean, Law himself is pretty damn cute as well. Penguin might not be that bad looking either, but I have yet to see his whole face, so I couldn't say for sure.

Squaring my shoulders—and then hissing at the pain from my side wound—I marched forward to the table that he was sitting at. One man, who had bright blue eyes and sandy blonde hair hidden underneath a top hat, caught my eyes and winked. Nate, seeing this action, turned to look over his shoulder and also caught my eyes. Only he didn't wink...he groaned and slammed his head on the table right next to his nearly empty tray.

I took my set beside him, setting my tray in front of me and looking down at the back of his hatted head. "If you keep doing that, you'll lose what brain cells you have left."

The blonde man in front of me laughed, but he quickly covered it up with a cough when Nate's head shot up to glare at him. "Sorry...I choked on my food..." To say that the English accent startled me would be an understatement.

To the right of Blondie was another man with...green hair? Yup... his hair was definitely green... And not Zoro green hair, but like a bright green that would hurt your eyes if you stared at it too long. He also had green eyes, which I believed to be an odd combination. His hat was a bowler hat with a red band around it.

Wait a second...

He was wearing a hat...

Setting down my fork, which had a piece of meat on it, I looked around the room and saw that every single man in the room had a hat on. Well, some of them had their hats sitting on the table in front of them, but they all _had _hats.

"So..." I began awkwardly, blushing like mad when I looked back at the two nameless men who were staring at me. "Is having a hat kind of mandatory on this ship?"

Green hair shrugged, scooping some mashed potatoes onto his fork and popping them into his mouth. "Well, when I joined, everyone else already had a hat, so I felt like I needed one too. I'm not sure if it's _mandatory_, but it sure as hell looks like it is." I nodded, eating a bit of my food before he started talking again. "Y'know, Nate was just telling us how stunning you are, and I'm glad to see that he was correct about that. If I may, I would like to—"

Nate, who started to blush at the mention of his own words, reached out to green hair and pushed his face down into his mashed potatoes. Blondie started laughing at how the two men argued, and I was too amused to notice he was looking at me until he spoke. "You are a lovely woman." I blushed at his words—I seemed to be doing that a lot.

I shrugged, trying to hide my blush by wiping nonexistent food from my mouth. "Oh, I'm just a Plain Jane." I waved a hand in front of me, as if waving away his compliment. "I mean, you guys just think that because it's a sausage fest on this sub."

"We've all seen pictures of women in, err, _magazines_..." I sweat dropped, knowing that he was talking about porn. _Ewww..._ "But you, ma'am, are a sight for sore eyes. A beauty sent from the heavens themselves. If you had wings under that extremely large T-shirt, I wouldn't be surprised."

Now I knew he was being funny, but I felt that he was also being kind of sincere. In any case, after I swallowed the food I had just put in my mouth, I gave him an impressed look. "You sure know what to say to a woman, huh?"

He shrugged, drinking his water and setting his napkin on an empty tray. "Well, my mother always told me that flattery will get me nowhere unless I am talking to a woman and being completely honest." I snorted, eyeing my food in distaste. I wasn't really in the mood to eat... "I am being rude, however. My name is Killian. Does this angel have a name?"

I took his outstretched hand in mine with a smile. "I'm Mara." He brought my hand to his lips and placed a kiss on it. "And you're overdoing it..."

He laughed and let go of my hand, looking over at the two other men that we were sitting with and shaking his head. Nate was currently mashing corn into Green's hair, and Green was slapping Nate's cheeks in an attempt to get him off. "The man with the green hair is Carlos. And I'm pretty sure that you already know Nathaniel." I nodded, grateful that he told me Green—I mean _Carlos'_—name.

It was quiet at the table after everything happened. Nate defended himself from the comment that started to fight between him and Carlos, saying that he told them that I was kind of pretty, and nothing more. I conceded, thinking that it really wasn't a big deal if he said anything or not.

The men talked about their jobs on the sub. Nate and Carlos, I discovered, worked together as partners in the engine room, making sure that the sub didn't overheat and get us stranded on the bottom of the ocean. Killian worked with a few other men in the navigation room, specifically looking on the radar to make sure that there were no enemy ships coming towards the sub. He said he didn't hang out with the other men in the navigation room because they were all in their own group before he came, so Nate took him under his wing.

"Well, aren't you Mister 'I-Do-Good'!" I reached out to pinch his cheek, but Nate slapped my hand away. My grin fell and I put my bottom lip out, pouting like a pro. "You shouldn't hit a girl like that...especially when she's injured as bad as I am..."

He snorted and looked away. "You're 'perfectly fine', remember? Besides, as the Captain said, you're not that bad."

"That doesn't mean you can hit me." I shot back, sticking my tongue out at him as Carlos and Killian. I looked around behind me, wondering how long we had been sitting here. "Where is Law anyway? Did he ever come in?"

Killian smiled. "He had his first mate, Bepo bring him some food into his office." I nodded, but he saw that I was confused. "The Captain wants to do a thorough examination of you since Nate isn't as medically inclined as he as, and he wants to make sure you don't have internal injuries." With a groan and a frown, I laid my head on my arms, which were acting as a makeshift pillow.

"Bepo is the polar bear." Nate leaned over and whispered, rolling his eyes as my face broke out into a grin as I remembered the white animal. I wondered how a polar bear ended up on a pirate crew, and how in the world the animal became the first mate. It seemed odd, but then again, my brother was Monkey D. Luffy, so I guess I couldn't really judge people on how odd they were.

As everyone continued to converse, I started to feel sleepy. A yawn escaped my mouth, even though I tried desperately to stop it. The corners of my eyes watered as I snuggled deeper into my arm-pillows, trying to keep my drooping eyes open.

Carlos was talking about how terrible it was to work in the engine room when they had a hangover, and that was the last thing I heard before I fell asleep.

It seemed like I was being carried.

Who was carrying me?

I opened my eyes slowly, trying to make out the face that was above mine.

I grabbed at the clothing of the person carrying me, pulling the material from their chest, earning their attention. Brown eyes looked down at me, looking only slightly annoyed, but seeming to be kinder than the other times I had looked at them.

"Go back to sleep, Mara."

Not one to be told twice, I snuggled my face into his chest, earning a cry in protest. I smiled, yawning again before falling back asleep.

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**Okay, I have another thing to say!**

**This chapter seemed kind of...slow and uneventful to me, which kind of pissed me off. I will try to make the next chapter more appealing to read, so I'll have to put a lot of thought into it.**

**As always, I love you guys and appreciate your reading my story.**

**Reviews are always welcome, and I love it when people give me ideas and ways to improve my story.**

**K, bye!**

**XoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXo XoXo**


	12. Short Examination

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ONE PIECE**

**I actually wrote this chapter, and the next one, on my birthday! (It was on March 14th) I was feeling inspired, so I went with it and... Well, I got Chapter Twelve and Chapter Thirteen!**

**ENJOY!**

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Chapter Twelve

When I woke up, I nearly freaked out at my surroundings. The metal walls and medical equipment didn't look familiar right away, but once my mind processed what had happened to me, I sighed deeply.

I was on a submarine belonging to the Heart Pirates, under the leadership of their Captain Trafalgar Law. That man—Law—was also a complete dick. That was what I remembered perfectly.

I looked up at the ceiling a moment before sliding my eyes to the source of a strange noise that was resonating through the room. It was a little dark since the lights were all off except for a small lamp beside my bed.

Squinting through the darkness, I saw a figure sitting on a chair a few feet from where I was lying, right in the corner. The sound was snoring, so I knew that this person was asleep in the chair. I wanted to know who it was—was it Law? Was it Nate? Was it Penguin? So I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and placed my feet on the cold floor, immediately feeling a chill go through my body and cause my skin to break out in goose bumps.

I grabbed the blanket that had been covering me and wrapped it around my body, walking slowly over to the figure. Not wanting to wake the person, I continued to squint at them instead of turning on the light.

As I moved to stand directly in front of them, I saw that it was Nate, which I found _really _surprising. I mean, wasn't he kind of annoyed by me? Why would he sit in here, sleeping in that uncomfortable position for God knows how long? Was he ordered to do it? Did he—

I jumped as a door opened to my left, spilling light into the room at an eye-burning intensity. I jumped away from Nate, hurting the wound on my side a little bit. He started moving his face around until his eyes opened and he looked over at me, then at the door. I followed his gaze and saw who had opened the door and disrupted the peace.

Trafalgar Law stood in all his glory, leaning against the door frame with that smirk on his stupid face. I did notice that he didn't have that hat on, and his hair looked like a case of bed-head, meaning that he must have been asleep or at least laying down. Another sign of his lying down was that he traded out his jeans and hoodie for some flannel pants and T-shirt.

Looking down at myself, I saw that our outfits were nearly identical.

I was wearing his clothes.

"It's so good to see you awake, Miss Mara." I sneered at his honorific, knowing that he was saying it in a sarcastic, condescending way. "I see that Mister Nathaniel has done his job quite well."

I looked to Nate with a raised brow. He yawned and stood, stretching his body with a groan. "Captain told me to make sure that none of the guys snuck in here and tried anything." I nodded, really appreciating that he was protecting me from horny men. "He also wanted me to make sure that you didn't try to make a run for it."

"Of course..." I growled and clutched the blanket tighter around my body as another chill went through me. Looking back at Law, I gave him an 'are-you-stupid' look. "Why would I try to run? I'm on a submarine first of all, and I can't even swim."

"You can't swim?" Nate asked, seeming to be genuinely shocked by that information. I nodded, giving him a pointed look, and then he understood what was going on. "You...ate a Devil Fruit?"

I twirled my finger around in the air and did a little jig—well; as good as I could with a blanket wrapped around me. "Woo hoo—ding, ding, ding—we have a winner, people!" Nate growled and started to say something, but I turned to Law and frowned. "You came here for a reason, yeah?"

"I would like to do your examination now, Miss Mara." He started into the room, flipping on lights as he went. Nate and I weren't used to brightness, so we covered our eyes and hissed like we were vampires trying to get out of the sun. "You slept for about two hours. It is nearly ten-thirty, so I would like to hurry this along so I can go to sleep, Miss Mara."

His back was turned, so I took the opportunity to mock him really quick, getting a chuckle from Nate. "Yes, almighty Trafalgar Law. I will do whatever you need me to do, Mister Almighty." I said sarcastically, following the lean man to the metal table while waving my hands in front of me. "I just wanna let you know, though. I really hate when people touch my face."

"I am the doctor around here, so I will do whatever is necessary to get the examination done. Understood?" I wrinkled up my nose, sitting on the table and getting in a comfy sitting position. "Mister Nathaniel, you will stay since she is your patient as well."

Nate silently threw a fit behind his Captains back, flipping off everything in the room before he calmed down and cleared his throat. "Aye, aye Captain..." With another middle finger to a heart monitor, he walked over and stood beside Law.

I was honestly quite nervous about what was going to happen. I had heard that Law was an insane man who harvested organs and stuff like that. I was afraid that I was going to be his next victim, and Nate was there to help hold me down so he could cut me up and—

"Take your shirt off."

That statement sure as hell snapped me out of my thoughts. I looked up at Law, meeting his steely grey eyes with my own brown gaze, trying not to glare at the man. I mean, he _was _a doctor after all, so he was professional.

With a dramatic sigh, I dropped the blanket from around my shoulders so that it pooled at my waist and onto my lap. I started the process of taking my shirt off, but realized the small bloodstain on the right side, right where my wound was.

"It looks like you ripped some of it open..." Law noted, taking it upon himself to assist me in taking off the shirt. I was so happy that I had the bra on because I was so cold, and I knew that my nipples were hard from the arctic temperatures. It would be embarrassing for them to see that.

I didn't mid the hands that started to probe my side, but I did mind the pain that those hands brought. I hissed, showing how much it hurt, to which Law simply ignored me and continued to do what he was doing. Nate stood awkwardly beside the table, watching what Law was doing even though he looked like he wanted to be doing anything but that.

Smiling to myself, I decided to fuck with Nate a little bit.

"Nathaniel," I began, using his full name for the first time. His eyes snapped up to mine, showing how much he hated me calling him that. Law even stopped what he was doing and looked up from his kneeling position in front of me. "I would really appreciate it if you didn't stare at my chest."

His jaw dropped as far as physics would allow, and I tried to hide my smile by turning my head to the side. "I wasn't—I was look—you're lying!"

I was lying, but I wanted to be distracted from what Law was doing. "I am not lying." I lied again, jutting out my bottom lip in a pout. "You were staring at my breasts, and I know you were."

"Mister Nathaniel," Law interrupted Nate when he was about to speak. "If you would be so kind as to not stare at your patients breasts, I'm sure we would all appreciate that." Nate huffed, but gave an affirmative to his Captain's request. "Now, Miss Mara, I have a few questions I would like to ask."

With a shrug, I watched as he grabbed a needle and some things from a medical kit. It looked like he was about to stitch me back up. "Go ahead and ask. You're the doctor, so I can't really say no, remember?"

Law turned his head towards me and gave an even bigger smirk than before. "I'm glad that you know your place." I wanted to scoff and kill that bastard, but I bit my tongue and waited for him to continue. "First, I need you to know that I need to do some simple measurements for my file on you." I gave a nod in understanding. "I would also like to know about your scars."

That caught me off guard, and I gave him a shocked face. "My...scars...?" He nodded, not turning to face me as he continued to prep things on the small metal table. Nate had taken a seat in the chair right next to the table. He was so close now that I could kick my foot out just an inch and kick him in the head.

I would never do that though.

He would probably kill me.

"You have quite a few all over your, and I would like to know where you got them from. Most of them look fresh, and some of them look like they were deliberately designed to look the way they do." He explained as he approached me again, kneeling down to set to work on my wound. "Did you used to intentionally hurt yourself?"

I shook my head, trying to dispel their thoughts of me cutting myself. "The old ones are from when I was a kid. I used to get hurt a lot." I explained, remembering all the times my siblings told me to do stupid things, and I did them. Why was I so dumb? "The, uhm, _newer _ones are from when I was being held by the Marines."

"You were held by the Marines?" Nate exclaimed, his eyebrows nearly in his hairline.

I gave a quick affirmative. "Yeah, I was all over the newspapers. Didn't you see them?" I asked them, to which Law nodded, but Nate shook his head back and forth so fast I thought he would get whiplash. "Well, I was saved and not executed like I was supposed to be, but I sure do have some scars from those assholes. They do _not _know how to treat a lady."

"What lady...?" Nate commented under his breath like I wouldn't hear him, but I sure as hell did. My eye twitched and I kicked my foot out.

I kicked Nate in the head.

He fell out of his chair.

I laughed while he yelled.

"I am a lady you jerk!" I defended myself, noticing that Law was finished with his work and was now washing his hands. "Anyways... The ones that looked like I did them to myself are actually from a time when I was younger and... Some stuff happened."

Law's ears perked up and he looked over his shoulder at me, that smirk that was usually there now gone from his face and replaced with a frown. "Some stuff, huh?" I nodded with a grim look. "What about those burns mark that is on the back of your neck and back?"

"Those are none of your damn business."

I couldn't help the statement that came out. I didn't want to be rude to this man—even though I hated him, he _did _save my life and he _was _taking care of me. Law got a dangerous glint in his eye at my quick response and Nate looked a little apprehensive of me.

There was no reason that they needed to know what had happened. I didn't want to bring up old memories anyways, especially when these memories haunted me most nights. I was entitled to my privacy, and there wasn't any reason for him to know who I was _before _I was the sister of Monkey D. Luffy and Portgas D. Ace.

"I would advise you not to give me an attitude again, Miss Mara. It will only cause more injuries that you can't really afford to get right now." I clenched my teeth together, looking down at my hands so that I wasn't tempted to roll my eyes or glare at him. "Now, Mister Nathaniel, you are to watch over Miss Mara while she stays on the submarine. I do not want any trouble while he travel, and you are expected to keep her out of it. Understand?"

Nate saluted weakly and yawned out an "Aye, aye Captain..." I huffed in annoyance of being treated as a threat, but was quite pleased that I would be able to spend time with Nate. He was actually a pretty cool guy, and he was a real gentleman when he wanted to be.

I mean, he did carry me back here when I fell asleep at dinner earlier.

Law left the room, muttering about how he would do the rest of his examination tomorrow morning with a huge yawn escaping from him mouth. Nate growled as he leaned his head back in the chair, closing his eyes and throwing his arm over his face. "Just go to sleep, freak. I'm exhausted, and I want you to be too."

I grinned and leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees and staring at him with wide eyes. He shivered after a moment, lifting his arm and peering at me with squinted eyes. When he inquired, rather rudely, what I was looking at, I grinned even larger. "I just wanna ask some questions, _Mister Nathaniel._" He rolled his eyes before covering them with his arm again. "How many men are on the sub?"

"Why so curious, freak?" He asked, not moving anything but his mouth. "You're not trying to calculate how many men you have to take down to get out of here, are you?"

I snorted. "I'm not stupid enough to think I'll win." He gave a nod, agreeing with my reasoning. "I really just wanna know how many horn dogs I have to protect myself from while I stay with you guys."

He seemed to be thinking, gnawing on his lip a moment before answering me. "There's...eighteen of us, including Law." I sighed heavily, leaning back on the table and allowing my feet to continue to dangle off the edge. "Are you going to move to the bed anytime soon?"

I mulled over the question, really thinking about whether or not I wanted to get up. I had actually gotten quite comfortable in the position I was in, so I decided against moving. "Naw, I think I'll just stay here to sleep." There was a noise from Nate, but I didn't really know what it meant. I also didn't question it.

Everything was silent after that. I stared at the ceiling, my eyes closing of their own accord every once and a while. I heard Nate's breathing getting deeper, and it was actually lulling me to sleep. After God knows how long, I finally closed my eyes for good and went into a deep sleep.

Sometime during the night, I was moved into my bed and tucked in.

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**[A/N] Okay, so I know I said that this chapter would be AMAZING (or something like that) and I feel like I didn't deliver :/ **

**Soooooooooo, the next chapter will DEFINITELY have some things in it that I know will please some people. That is a for real for real promise this time.**

**IT'S A MOTHAFUCKIN PINKY PROMISE!**


	13. Lunch Turns Sour

**Okay, so I promised to have this chapter out either today or tomorrow, so I did it ^_^**

**I'm actually proud that it's pretty long, since I was trying to make up for boring chapters. And trust me—this one is most definitely NOT boring ^_^**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE**

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Chapter Thirteen

A bubbly red haired boy stood behind the counter, staring at me and Nate expectantly as he grinned largely with a blush, making his freckles disappear. "Good afternoon you guys! What do you guys want for lunch?"

Victor, the wonderful chef of the crew, stood behind this red head with a stern look on his face. I learned this morning at breakfast from Killian that the red head, named Dougal, was the nephew of Victor. The younger man was on his way to becoming a great chef as well, under the tutelage of his uncle. I thought it was kind of sweet, but from what I had heard, Victor was pretty hard on the twenty-year-old.

Nate gave the man a nod, not quite smiling back, but offering a smirk. "I'll have the burger and—"

I stepped forward, standing in front of Nate and giving Dougal a smile. "I'll have a salad and some—" A hand slapped over my mouth and I was dragged away from the counter. I gave Nate the best 'evil-eye' that I could muster, but he simply ignored me and kept his hand in place.

He turned to Dougal and gave the young man a very serious face. "She'll have the same order as me. We will both have a burger with some chips and a soda. " He turned to me then, those eyes that were eerily similar to mine blazing. "Captain said you are extremely underweight, so you need to gain it back." His hand moved away as he grabbed both of our trays and started walking out of the room.

I stuck my tongue out at his back, angry that he had taken over my order, but followed him anyway since my stomach was growling like a starved animal. We approached the table that we usually sat at with Carlos and Killian, but as we got over there, I saw that there were some new additions to the once small group.

Beside Killian was a blonde haired kid who was wearing a black beanie. I didn't really know who he was, but I did hear Nate and Carlos talking about Killian's brother one time. I had a feeling that the boy sitting there was the mystery brother that I hadn't met yet.

Other additions to the table was one of the first Heart Pirate's I met—Penguin. He was laughing at something that another man had said slapping his hands on the table for emphasis on how funny it was.

A man sat beside him, also laughing at what was said. The other man wore a greenish casquette hat with a reddish brim. He had auburn hair reaching his shoulders that peeked out the sides of his hat, and he wore that same jumpsuit that everyone else wore. I had learned that his name was Shachi, but I never really spoke to him besides a simple 'hello' or 'good morning'.

I learned that Penguin and Shachi were actually partners in the engine room, similar to how Carlos and Nate were.

"Are you coming, freak?"

I looked over to where Nate had been, but realized that he wasn't standing there anymore. Instead, when I had stopped to observe the table, he had moved on and was standing right next to said table. I gave a nod, not bothering with a comeback at the moment, and followed him over, taking my usual seat between him and Killian.

"Well hello there, beautiful." Penguin lifted the brim of his hat, winking a hazel eye at me with a small smile and blush dusting his cheeks. I gave a curt nod and equally small smile, looking down at the tray that Nate pushed in front of me. "Damn Mara, are you really gonna eat all of that?"

I sneered at the food then looked up at him with wide eyes. "I _wanted _a salad, but Dick Face here said I needed to get the same thing as him." I hitched a thumb at Nate, who flicked me in the side of the head as a comeback. I gasped dramatically and grabbed onto my head, falling to the side onto Killian and staring at Nate wide-eyed. "Nathaniel..." I started, sounding disappointed and hurt. "How could you? After everything that we went through together...how could you abuse me like this?" There was a snicker from someone, but Nate just looked annoyed.

"Stop being stupid and eat your fucking food." I held up my hands in surrender, picking myself up off of Killian and started on my food. I took a small bite of my burger, then a chip, and then a small sip of my soda. Nate sighed loudly, giving me 'the look', to which I looked at him innocently and smiled sweetly.

I had to admit—even though I really hated to—that I had grown pretty close to some of the people on the sub the three days that I had been on here. The first day I met Nate, Penguin, Killian, Carlos, and Law, of course. The second day, I was hanging out with Nate since he was on babysitting duty, and we became something kind of like friends. I mean yeah, we were jerks to each other, but that didn't mean we hated each other.

I called it tough love and relationship building.

He called me annoying and childish.

To be honest, I was actually growing attached to this floating hunk of metal. Yeah, Law was still the King of Assholes, but everyone else that I had met seemed genuinely kind and weren't as bad as I thought they would have been.

Even though all of this had truth to it, I wanted to leave and continue my mission in life. Well, I guess that's kind of dramatic to say. I just have to go kill the man that ruined my life after I became a sister to Luffy and Ace.

Yeah, I guess it's my mission in life...

As I thought about the past couple of days, then men at the table continued with their conversations. Killian was the one who brought me to the present, bumping my shoulder with his and giving me a warm smile.

"I don't think I have introduced you to my little brother." He leaned back in his seat, allowing me to see past his muscular from to the blonde man that sat next to him. The hair had different shades—Killian's was darker by quite a few shades. The eyes, I could tell since I was closer, were different colors—Killian's were bright blue, his brothers were dark brown.

They had similar features though. They had the same nose...same lips...same jaw shape.

I gave the brother a smile, to which he returned sort of hesitantly. "This is Tino, my little brother." Killian informed, sounding more like a proud father than an older brother. "We work together as navigators."

"That must be nice, working along with family. I remember I tried to teach my little brother how to navigate on a small pond on our home island." I felt a smile come to my face thinking of how idiotic Luffy was, and kind of still was. With a chuckle, I continued to tell them the short story. "He got to the middle of the lake, and then kept going in circles, claiming that the pond turned into the ocean and I was fucking with him."

"I didn't even know you had a brother." Killian informed me, shock on his face as clear as day. I looked around to the other men and they all wore similar expressions, except for Tino, who seemed indifferent about it.

I gave a shrug, taking another sip of my soda and popping another chip in my mouth. "Yeah... I have two actually. I have one that's younger; I had two that were older. Sabo died when we were still kids, though. The brothers I have left and kind of idiots..." I chewed my lip, deciding to tell an embarrassing story about Ace as well. "My older brother once thought that the only difference between boys and girls were eyelashes." At the confused faces around the table, I explained. "He thought that girls had eyelashes, but boys didn't."

"That's pretty weird for someone to think." Tino spoke up, having the same accent as his brother, which didn't surprise me in the slightest. "When we were kids, Killian thought that everyone had dicks until he was eleven and accidentally walked into the ladies room in a restaurant."

Killian, who was blushing like a tomato, gave off a nervous chuckle and slapped his brother on the shoulder as if it were in good nature, but from the slightly pained look in Tino's eyes, I figured that Killian was hitting him pretty hard. From there, everyone started to tell embarrassing stories about ourselves and friends from when we were younger.

It was pretty fun, to say the least, to learn new things about each man at the table. I discovered that Penguin and Shachi actually grew up on the same island, and they would always get in trouble together. When Nate was very young, he would put peanut butter in his hair when his mom yelled at him, just to make her mad and have to clean it out.

Tino, as Killian informed every, used to be afraid to pee by himself, so he had to have his brother escort him every time he had to go potty. Carlos said he almost fainted when his mother told him what sex was, and that he became afraid of women because he thought that they would rape him.

"You better be eating Miss Mara, or else I will have to hook you up to tubes and feed you through those."

I scowled at the voice and noticed how everyone else just continued to talk like he hadn't come up behind us. I turned, wiping the scowl off my face and replacing it with a fake smile, just for Law. "Of course I'm eating, _Captain._" His smirk grew, but that dangerous glint came into his eyes. "Why wouldn't I eat this burger, even though I specifically wanted a salad?" It wasn't that big of a deal, but I wanted to let the world know that I didn't get my way.

He shrugged, as if he didn't care that I didn't get my way. Hell, he most likely _didn't _care. "I am not going to give you anymore warnings, am I understood?" I gave an affirmative in a rather rude way. He glared. "I brought the most current paper we have."

Penguin stood and pointed an accusing finger at Law. "I knew that you had it! I have been looking for the paper from Sabaody, but no one had it! I never thought to ask you since I didn't think you would keep it from me!"

"Bepo had it." Law explained before throwing the paper onto the table and walking away, as if he had just given a piece of raw meat to ravenous beasts.

From the way that everyone dived for the newspaper, the similarity was uncanny.

Shachi ended up victorious from the tug-of-war between him, Tino, and Carlos. He waved it up above his head, grinning and acting like he had just won a million dollars. Maybe, in his mind, he had won a prize.

Nate leaned over while Shachi read the paper, Penguin leaning over his shoulder and Tino leaning across the table to try and read it upside down. "On this ship, we live to read the paper. We haven't gotten one since we were on Sabaody, so we haven't been caught up on the news." I gave a nod in understanding before eating some more of my burger—now cold.

"Hey Mara...you're on page ten..." I was shown a picture of me on my execution platform, the two swords dangerously close to my neck. I felt a smile spread over my face as I looked at the grin that I wore when I was mere seconds from death. "You're bounty went up to 420 million Beries."

Tino snapped his head over to me, his eyes wide as he looked me over. "You don't look like someone who would have a bounty higher than the Captain's." I shrugged indifferently, used to being told something like that every time people learned who I was. Shachi turned the paper back towards him and continued to read in silence. Tino continued talking to me, leaning forward to see me past his brother, who still sat between us. "Can I ask you a personal question?"

I thought about it, really wondering whether or not I wanted to share personal things with people who were practically strangers. I mean, I shared things with the Straw Hats that were personal, but they were Luffy's family at sea, so I trusted them automatically.

Finally, I gave a hesitant nod and he continued. "When you were younger, did you ever think that you would be a pirate?"

"Nope, I did not." I answered immediately, not having to think twice about it. Tino didn't seem surprised, but Killian inquired why I became one then. "Well," I began, thinking back to when I met Luffy, Ace and Sabo. "My brothers decided that they wanted to become pirates when they grew up." I didn't mention that they came up with this pact _before _I met them, but they didn't need to know about my life like that. "They decided that they wanted me to be one as well and, after some convincing, we promised over some Sake that we would be the best of the best."

Carlos, who was leaning on his elbow listening to my tale, wiped false tears from his eyes and sniffled a little bit. "That is the greatest story I have ever heard." I threw some chips at him, and he actually caught some, chewing them up and giving me a thumb up. I shook my head at his antics, starting to try to focus on my food.

The table grew quieter after Carlos decided to eat my potato chip ammunition. Shachi and Penguin were sharing the paper with Tino leaning forward trying to catch glimpses of the stories. Nate was finishing his food, stealing sips of my soda when he didn't think I was looking. Killian and Carlos were quietly conversing across the table about God knows what—something about gears and radars, I don't fucking know!

"Well freak, I think I'm ready to go take a nap." Nate announced, stretching with his arms above his head. I sighed and rolled my eyes, ignoring him to the best of my ability. When he realized what I was doing, I got a flick to my forehead and a large body leaning against me. "I said I wanna go take a nap!"

I shoved him off and grinned. "I know what you said, Nathaniel." He frowned, but I held up a finger and stopped any comments. "You just took a nap after breakfast—now you need a nap after lunch? What is wrong with you?"

"When you work with gears all day and get naps in when you're free, it becomes habit." I'll admit his defense was pretty good. I didn't care, though. Turning back to my food, I took an extremely slow bite of my food, and chewed it as slow as I could. He groaned and slammed his head on the table, causing my tray—and everyone else's—to jump a few inches off the table.

I put a hand on his head and ruffled his soft brown hair. "Now Nathaniel, what did I say about killing your brain cells?"

He was ready to say something—I could tell by the way he started to lift his head—but a shocked yell cut him off.

"How in the hell did they capture _him_?"

Shachi had jumped up from his seat and was staring at the newspaper as if it had changed into a language he couldn't read. His hat even fell off of his head, revealing his auburn hat hair. Penguin was sitting in his seat, his head in his hands as he shook it back and forth. Tino had stood up and was walking over to Shachi, angry that he didn't know what was going on.

I lifted my hand off Nate's head, allowing him to look up at what was going on. Carlos and Killian grew silent, watching the people that were moving around just as Nate and I were doing.

Shachi seemed to be reading this particular story very fast, and I wondered from the way his head was moving if he was even reading every word. Penguin seemed to not really believe what was happening, shaking his head continuously while holding it and frowning.

Tino got to the paper—finally—and read the headline aloud.

"The Pirate 'Fire Fist' Ace to be executed from Impel Down."

Time seemed to stop.

My heart stopped for a moment and caused me to gasp, grabbing onto my chest as if I were dying. Nate, concerned with my reactions, grabbed my arm and looked at my face. I felt myself pale and my breathing became shallow, then I started to breathe faster, wheezing with every breath.

"She's hyperventilating." I think it was Carlos who informed the group of men at the table, and then everyone seemed to spring into action.

I wasn't aware of what was happening to me at that moment, but I did know that I was...freaking out.

Ace had been captured.

He always said that he would never be caught—he was the best of the best.

His bounty was the highest that I knew—way higher than my own.

My brother had been taken to Impel Down, the prison for the worst criminals to wait for an execution.

I didn't want to lose him.

I couldn't lose him

I was going to save him.

My body was being shaken, and when I opened my eyes, I saw the familiar brown eyes that were my own. Wait...no... That was Nate.

"Jesus fucking Christ, Mara...! What happened? Are you okay?" He was helping me up while he was yelling at me, keeping his hands on my shoulders and looking closely at my face. "What happened to you?"

I gulped, feeling that my throat was dry. I wanted to say something—anything! When I tried to get words out, I felt a lump form in my throat and my face grew hot. Nate looked taken aback, opening and closing his mouth like a fish. My eyes became hot and I felt tears prick at the corners, threatening to spill out even though I was forcing them back.

The men who were standing around us—Carlos, Killian, Tino, Penguin, and Shachi—all looked worried and afraid. I lifted my hands, grabbing onto Nate's hands that were now resting on my knees.

"I have to leave to Impel Down immediately."

It took a moment for him to comprehend that I was speaking, but when he did, he made a face. "Why do you need to...?" He stopped, putting pieces together in his head. A light bulb went off and his eyes flashed. "What's your relationship with 'Fire Fist'?"

Everyone who was standing behind Nate leaned forward, waiting for the answer that would come. It would have been comical if I weren't freaking out.

With a smile, I brought a hand up to my face and wiped it fiercely.

I looked back at Nate, and then looked at all the men that were standing there. I debated whether or not I should tell them, but I figured if I did, they would let me leave.

"I..." I took a deep breath, willing the tears to go away when they started to come back. "He's...he's my b-big brother."

There was silence.

And then...

Nate fell backwards and everyone else seemed genuinely shocked. Standing up, I dusted off my pants and looked down at Nate. "Close your mouth, you're gonna—"

"Did I hear that you're related to Mister Fire Fist?" I turned and faced Law, who seemed to sneak up on me again, just like earlier. "Or were my ears deceiving me?"

I shook my head, trying my hardest not to freak out about Bepo, the first mate a polar bear of the ship. I had met him and freaked out, which depressed him immensely, so now I watched myself around him. "You heard correctly. He's my brother."

"Well then, that seems to be a problem." I asked why. "You see, I don't want you to leave my ship. You're powerful and you know powerful people, so you would be a great asset. If I let you leave now, then you wouldn't come back."

"Damn right I wouldn't." His words registered then and I growled, making his smirk grow. "You weren't going to let me leave even when we docked on an island, were you?"

He shook his head. "Certainly not, Miss Mara... As I said, you are very valuable."

I didn't see myself winning if I tried to somehow escape this Hell Sub and get to Impel Down, so I decided that I would bargain with him. "Look, I know you'll kill me or use your weird Devil Fruit on me if I try to leave." He nodded, telling me I was correct. "So, how about you let me go save Ace—" He opened his mouth to speak, but I held up a hand. "Lemme finish, Trafalgar!" I demanded, getting worked up. Ace's life was on the line and he was being an asshole to the extreme.

"Do not raise your voice at me, Mara."

I noticed he dropped the honorific, which I wasn't really sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing. "Sorry..." I apologized half-assed. "Look, I have to go because I know that my little brother will go try to save Ace too, and then I'll lose both of them. So, how about you give me a boat or something to travel the ocean with, and I will take Nate with me."

"Why would I give you one of my men? You'll probably kill him and then continue your escape." Law had good points, but I wasn't that heartless.

Shaking my head, I touched Nate's arm, which was now standing beside me. "No matter how much I hate you, I would never kill Nathaniel. He's my friend." Law's eyes narrowed at the fact that I hate him, but I didn't really give a damn. "I'll take him with me, save Ace, and then come back with him once I get Ace to a safe place." I held up two fingers on my right hand and smiled. "Scout's honor..."

There was a pregnant pause, in which I think Law was actually debating whether or not he would let me go. I hoped to every deity that you could prey to that he would let me go. If not, then I would get off this metal tub or die trying.

Law turned away, walking out of the galley. "No means no, Miss Mara. You are not leaving this ship to save anyone." I clenched my teeth together and watched the retreating form of that asshole of a captain.

The whole room was silent. I looked behind me and saw that all the men was standing around awkwardly, digging the toes of their boots into the floor or rubbing their necks and avoiding eye contact. Squaring my shoulders, I dusted off my clothes, clearing my throat and trying to look strong.

Carlos finally met my eyes, and Killian looked like he was going to say something.

"I fucking hate all of you." I growled, spinning on my heel and marching from the room. Some of them were calling after me, but I simply marched faster and headed...somewhere...

I could feel tears welling in the corners of my eyes, but I remembered my promise to myself and didn't let them spill over. How could he not let me go and save one of the most important people in my life? Was he really that cruel, or was it something else?

In any case, I was getting off of this ship to go and save Ace, no matter what Law or anyone said about it.

I was actually walking towards where I think the crew's rooms were when I felt someone grab me. I was ready to scream, but a hand covered my mouth, anticipating the action. I went to try to struggle, but the person turned me around and told me to shut the fuck up.

Eyes that were an identical color to my own looked at me, and I felt myself relax.

The hand moved away from my mouth when I licked the palm. He made a disgusted noise and pushed me away.

"What do you want, Dick Face?"

Nate glared at me, but said nothing as he grabbed my arm and started leading me down the way I had come from. That was when I noticed he was carrying my backpack that I had since I left Luffy and the others. "Do you wanna go save your brother?" I felt myself perk up, but felt like something was wrong with what he was saying. "I can help you get out of here and we can go get him."

"Wouldn't this be going against your Captain?"

He shrugged, dragging me around a corner and into a room that was a tad messy and really dark. When he turned on the light, I saw those hideous jumpsuits strewn all over the floor and nearly died of the fashion disaster tornado.

Nate sighed and started to throw some things around that were in a drawer. "I want to help you, freak. No matter how much of a pain you are, it really killed me to see you react like that earlier." I hung my head, ashamed that I had shown weakness. "Then when Law said you can't go, the look of betrayal on your face let me know that I had to act."

"So you'll go against the Almighty Law to help out poor little me?" He gave a grunt of approval, and I gnawed on my lip. "Y'know, Law could get really pissed, chase us down, and kill us both..." He shrugged, finding what he was looking for with an 'ah-ha!' He stood up again, flicking the light off and grabbing my arm again. "Where are we—?"

He shushed me, which angered me, but I didn't say anything.

After all, he _was _helping me escape.

We turned more corners until we finally entered a smaller hallway. He went up to a door, punching a code into a number pad and then opening the large door. "We're gonna have to swim out to the small attached boat, then bring it up to the surface." I gave him a look, to which he sighed. "I'll swim, and you can just hold on I guess. Once we get on, we'll have to sail fast so that Law doesn't find out."

"Just hold on a second." I hissed, grabbing onto his hand and pulling him to a halt. He looked at me with questioning eyes, his body still trying to get everything prepared even though I was trying to keep him in place. "What the hell is this? Why are you helping me? You're gonna get yourself killed for me?"

He laughed and flicked my forehead, succeeding in being released from my hold. "Law won't kill me. I've known him since we were kids. I grew up with that man. He'll probably yell at me and chop off my head for a few hours, but that's all." He sounded like he was joking, but his eyes held some seriousness in them. I cocked a brow, not quite convinced yet. "Look freak, if you wanna stay here while your brother's execution gets closer, that's fine with me. We'll just head back up and—"

I slapped his chest hard. "I never said I didn't wanna do this. I just wanted to make sure you weren't throwing your life away for me." He laughed again, but stopped when he saw the pained look in my eyes. "I've had enough people do that for me already, and I don't' need to add another name to that list."

He opened his mouth, but shook his head and closed it again.

I scrunched my face up as he held out his hand and gave me a grin. "You ready to get this show on the road?"

With one more moment of hesitation, I grabbed onto his hand and walked towards the small hatch that had opened, allowing water into the enclosed room. Nate pushed a button then dived down into the hatch and into the ocean. I was dragged behind him, becoming like a rag doll in the water.

He turned back to me with a thumb up, and if I could, I would have flipped him off for looking so damn cheery while I was drowning.

Nate started to kick his legs, and as I looked up, I saw something that looked like a miniature submarine. Well, it was more like a row boat with a bubble thing on top, but I still thought of it as a submarine.

We were going to Impel Down.

We were going to save Ace.

We would probably die for running away from Law when he said not to.

_Dear God...what have I gotten myself into?_

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**Yes, I brought up Ace and his execution FINALLY! If anyone seems kind of...OOC-ish to anyone, I apologize. Mainly Law—I feel like he was...not himself in this one.**

**In any case, the next chapter will reveal some things about Mara that some people have been wondering. (Yeah, I'm looking at **_**you **_**Miss Doflamingo ^_^)**

**RANDOM QUESTION::: Has anyone ever heard the song 'And We Danced' by Macklemore? Its soooooo funny, and if you wanna hear something other than Thrift Shop (yes, he did sing that song too) then you should check it out. There's also the song 'Same Love' and 'Otherside Remix'. Oh sweet Jesus, they are AMAZING songs ^_^**

**Okay, I think I blabbed on long enough about unimportant things!**

**I love all my readers very much!**

**XoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXo Xo**


	14. Stirred Up Memories

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE (Shouldn't you guys know that by now?)**

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Chapter Fourteen

Everything was so blue. The sky was blue. The water was blue. Some fish swimming close to the surface were blue. There was a blue bird circling the small boat.

Our attitudes were blue.

Nathaniel had been grumbling on the small seat on the small boat about how he was starving. His skin seemed to be getting a little red, and I wondered if I had any sunblock in my bag to give him. Being copped up on a submarine for long periods of time probably would make someone's skin more sensitive to the suns harsh rays. He was also immensely thirsty, which he announced at least several times in the past thirty minutes.

All in all, he was getting on my nerves.

I was trying to be kind to him as best as I could. Usually when someone annoys me, I tell them rather bluntly how annoying they are, but I couldn't do it this time. Nate was helping me out in such an amazing way that I didn't think I would ever be able to repay him. I was able to save Ace because of him. I was able to save Luffy because of him.

"Hey Mara, how much longer until we get there?"

I looked over at him, not lifting my head from its position resting on my arms, which were currently acting as pillows. We had been sailing for about a day and a half, almost two days, and I had been trying to get some sleep since two hours ago.

Closing my eyes a moment, I sensed with my Devil Fruit where the closest island plants were. Opening them again, I looked into Nate's eyes and told him. "We'll be somewhere by tomorrow afternoon. I dunno what island it will be, but they'll have food and water."

"How can you not be dying?" He asked, bringing the back of his hand to his forehead and acting as though he were going to faint. Nate was always one for the dramatics. "I mean, I've been hungry since last night, and I haven't had any water since lunch when we left."

I gave a one shoulder shrug, shifting my body into a more comfortable position. "I've been stranded before and hadn't had anything to eat or drink for days." I explained as vaguely as I could, not mentioning that 'stranded' was the same thing as 'kidnapped and tortured' in this scenario. "I guess I can just handle it now."

He hummed, leaning back against the side of the boat. The small vessel rocked with his movement, causing my bottom to slide a little against the damp surface.

I looked back over at the man who had somehow become my friend during my time knowing him. His tomato red face looking as though it was getting worse with every passing minute it was exposed in the sun. I looked to his arms, which were now bare from him changing into a normal T-shirt and shorts, and they were getting just as red. His legs seemed to be suffering the same fate.

With a long and frustrated sigh, I dragged myself from my comfortable position and crawled over his legs to get my bag, which was on the other side of the boat. He opened an eye and watched me, probably wondering what the hell I was being so loud about.

"Whatcha doin', freak...?" I rummaged through my bag, pushing aside the newspaper from when I first escaped the Marines, and some clothes that Nami and Robin had given me before I left the Thousand Sunny. There was also a small piece of cloth torn from my prisoner uniform, consisting of being burnt around the edges and the black and white stripes being somewhat dingy. There was also a mine Den-Den Mushi, which I hadn't used in a while, but I was glad that it was still there. I never learned how Luffy got it back from the Marines, but I sure as hell was grateful for it.

At the bottom of the bag, I found what I had been looking for.

With a smile, I produced the small white bottle that was still full, never really having any use to me. I closed the bag and crawled back to Nate, who had now opened both eyes and backed away slightly. "Don't act like I'm gonna rape you." I muttered, popping open the lid to the bottle and squirting some of the pink lotion onto my hand.

"Well what the hell are you gonna do to me? It looks pretty...sketchy..." I rolled my eyes and showed him the bottle, putting it in his hands while I rubbed my own together, reaching towards his face. "Sunscreen...?" He then looked up and saw me approaching. "What the fuck are you—?"

I slapped my hands on his cheek lightly, splattering some of the lotion in a few places on his cheeks and forehead as well as on my wrists. "I'm trying to help you out, Dick Face." With a smile, I started to rub the sunscreen on his face, working from the cheeks to his forehead, and all the way down to his neck. "I used to do this for my brothers when we were younger..."

Nate's eyes seemed to soften, catching on to the tone of my voice. Why was I acting so...weak? I had no reason to. I was going to save those idiots with my life. Was I afraid of dying?

"Did they get sunburn a lot?" Nate asked, handing the bottle back to me so I could rub it on his arms.

I shook my head. "No, they actually had well equipped skin for the sun. They tanned like there was no tomorrow—not having to worry about sunburn." He cocked a brow, questioning why I put sunscreen on them. "I always used to do it for...someone else I knew. It just reminded me of happy times, so I did it for them as well. They hated it, but I did it anyways."

"It must be nice to be able to have a relationship with your family." Nate sounded a little bitter with the statement, and I watched him in curiosity as he rubbed the lotion on his legs. "I was never on good terms with my mom and pop, and I had no siblings to have adventures with as a child. I kind of just hung out with Law, Penguin, and Shachi all the time."

I smirked, sitting back on the seat beside him and stretching my legs out, facing towards the sky and closing my eyes. "Well, at least you had them." I thought back to when I was a very young child, a time that was very dark. "I remember when I had no one."

"You have an older brother." He told me in a tone of voice that implied he didn't understand. "Then you have a younger brother. How in the world did you have no one?"

I sighed, wondering if I really should delve into the past with him. I mean, Nate was someone whom I was—for some reason—close to. He was around me nearly twenty-four hours a day on the submarine. Now we're sharing a small boat and he's disobeying his captain's orders to help me.

"I...didn't always live with my brothers." I admitted for the first time to anyone. Nate's eyes bugged open and his brows shot up to the sky. When asked to elaborate, I gave a nervous chuckle and scratched the back of my head. "Well, I used to live with my birth parents and blood-related siblings here on the Grand Line, but when things...happened...I moved to Foosha Village in the East Blue to live with them."

"You're from the Grand Line..." He seemed rather shocked. "So, you're not technically related the Portgas D. Ace?" I shook my head, to which he nodded and seemed to process my words. "Can I...ask a question?" I gave a one-shoulder shrug so he continued. "Those scars...do they have to do with what happened at your original home? Is that why you wouldn't tell me and the Captain about them?"

I bit my lip, wondering why in the hell I even began to talk about myself. Now he would want to know every single detail and he wouldn't leave me alone until I told him everything. "Look, I don't wanna discuss my past with you, okay?" He held up his hands in surrender, sliding away from me on the seat and nearly falling off. I gave a sigh, turning my back to him and looking out over the waves. Why did people have to be so curious? Couldn't they just leave things alone and not talk about things that are obviously painful. Why did—?

Fingers brushed against the back of my neck, which was exposed in the low cut shirt I was wearing. My hair was also up in a sloppy pile atop my head, as it always was when I had my way.

I turned and slapped away those probing fingers, my face flushed. My scars were right there...

"What the hell are you doing, Dick Face?"

His brows were furrowed, as if he was confused as to what he saw. "You have..." He was at a loss for words, trying to comprehend what was going on. I could literally see the wheels turning in his head from the look in his eyes. "Do you have a favorite animal?"

"You're changing the subject." I growled through clenched teeth.

He shook his head. "I am absolutely on subject, so answer me. Do you have a favorite animal?"

Taking a deep breath, I thought a moment, trying to really think if I did have a favorite animal. I thought about saying a reindeer, since the doctor for Luffy's crew was a cute little blue-nosed reindeer himself. Then I thought of saying a polar bear, thinking of the first-mate and apparently Kung-Fu master aboard the Heart Pirate's submarine. At least, that's what Killian told me about the fuzzy white animal.

At last, I decided to tell the truth.

I shook my head. "No, I don't have a favorite animal. Care to explain why you ask?"

"If you don't have a favorite animal," He began, putting a hand on his chin and stroking it as if in deep thought and he had a beard. He didn't have a beard though, so the movement looked weird to me. And seeing Nate in deep thought was an oddity in itself. "If you don't have a favorite animal, then why do you have the word 'Raven' tattooed onto the back of your neck?"

I gasped and brought a hand up to the spot that he mentioned, feeling the flesh to see if I could find the area.

"Well, now that I think of it, it looks like the word was kind of burned into your skin, along with the burns around it."

Memories came flooding into my head, from the night that everything fell apart. The night that she was so angry that she took everything from me—took everything that mattered to me. The weeks that I spent in the hospital, recovering from what had happened to me because of her ridiculous grudge against me.

Margie was injured because of our personal war. She was sent to the hospital along with me, holding my hand and telling me it wasn't my fault. It was my fault. I was seven years old, and I had been the cause of so much death and destruction.

I remembered being told that Margie would never be the same again.

I remembered the day that I went to see _her_ in prison.

I remembered the day that I was saved by the man who told me to call him Pops.

I was travelling with him for a year, the memories haunting me every night in the form of the worst nightmares imaginable. He would come in and tell me that they weren't real, but I remembered them _feeling_ so damn real.

"Mara, would you stop it?" I snapped my head up, realizing that the whole time the memories had flooded back, I had been gripping Nate's hands so hard that my nails dug into the calloused flesh and had drawn blood. I quickly released him, trying to stop the shaking that had begun in my body. Why would I have Raven's name burnt onto my body? _She _was the one who had burned me, so why...?

I looked away from Nate, calming myself before crawling to my bag and searching for something to wrap his bleeding hands in.

In reality, I was trying to distract myself from what I had just learned about my burn scars.

How had I not noticed them in all the years I had them?

"Are you okay, Mara?" Nate asked quietly, holding his hands away from his clothes and letting the blood drops fall onto the floor of the boat. I nodded, not trusting my voice to speak. "Is... Is Raven someone that you knew?" I froze my actions, my hands gripping the gauze that Chopper had packed away for me. It seemed like years ago that I had last seen him instead of only days.

"I don't know anyone named Raven." The lie was obvious. It was so obvious that the densest person in the world would be able to tell that I was lying.

Nate snorted; catching on that the lie was awful. "Was he an ex-boyfriend?" I was ready to deny wholeheartedly and say that he was a man who was just ruining my life, but wasn't that the same as an ex-boyfriend? "So he was..." Now I turned to deny since he had come to a ridiculous conclusion, but he was still talking. "So he was abusive, huh? Well, since I feel I have to, I'll find him and kill him for doing that to you. I'll have to—"

I threw the gauze at him, effectively shutting him up when it hit him in the nose and bounced back towards me. "You're not allowed to kill him." I clarified for him, shuffling on my knees over to him to bandage his hands, which weren't that bad when you looked closely. "You can't kill him. I have to do it."

"So he is someone that you know..." I looked up at the smug look on Nate's face and made sure to 'accidentally' press too hard on his cut up hands, earning a hiss of pain. "Was he the one that burnt your neck then?"

I hesitated but shook my head after a moment. "He didn't do it." I whispered, focusing on my work for a moment before continuing. "It was actually someone else who burned me, which is why I was kind of...spooked that his name was on there."

"Maybe whoever burned you was working together with this ex of yours..."

I slapped his chest. "Raven's not my ex." He cocked a brow, as if not believing me, but I did the same back, challenging him to tell me that I was lying. "He was some man that I met after I moved to Foosha." I rethought that, new things coming to my mind. "Well, at least I _thought _that was when I first met him..."

I backed away from Nate then, folding myself into a ball in the corner of the boat, watching out over the ocean which had grown darker along with the sky. We were getting closer to this island, and I hoped that we would make it to Impel Down in time to save Ace and Luffy. I say Luffy because I know he caught wind of this, and he and his crew were probably on their way to Impel Down right now to save Ace. If they liked him as much as they said the first day I met everyone, then they had better be going to Impel Down.

"We better get some sleep." Nate muttered after a few minutes of silence, shuffling off the seat and sitting on the floor. "I'll take the first watch. You go ahead and go to sleep."

I nodded, grateful that he was letting me sleep. I had tried to earlier, but I just couldn't bring myself to do so. Now, after spilling some of the things about myself, I needed sleep. My eyelids felt heavy and my body felt as if it were moving like a snail.

I lay down on the seat, covering myself with a small blanket that was in the boat when we escaped.

Nate sat quietly, his eyes alert as he watched across the water and occasionally looked over the side and into the water, looking for the bright yellow submarine that was no doubt trailing us. As the sky grew darker, my eyelids felt heavier until I couldn't take it anymore and gave in, falling asleep feeling uneasy about the new discovery on the back of my neck.

One thing was sure as I closed my eyes.

I needed to go back home.

I needed to get answers.

* * *

**[A/N] Okay, I'm sorry that this is kind of short, but I kind of felt like this was the most logical place to end the chapter. If you hate me for it then, well, get over it ^_^**

**I would to give a Shout Out to:**

**Miss Doflamingo**

**MsWildLuck**

**10****th**** Squad 3****rd**** Seat**

**Shinginghear of Thunderclan**

**And Girl-luvs-manga**

**For continuously reviewing and PM-ing me, letting me know what they like, what I'm doing right, and what I need to improve on.**

**Also, to Vegetables of Darkness, if you do give me a cookie, can you make it with extra chocolate chips? ^_^**

**Okay, I'll probably have a chapter up this weekend depending on my schedule.**

**Please review and favorite and all that jazz. (I'm learning about the jazz era in history this week! Just thought I would share...)**

**Alright, I loves you all and hope that you love me and my story. If not that's cool too (/.\)**

**Okay bye!**

**XoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXo**


	15. Winter Island

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN THE ALMIGHTY ONE PIECE**

**I'm baaaaack! The accursed writers block has been cured with my attempt at a Deadman Wonderland story, and I couldn't be more thrilled~! Of course, I do plan on keeping up with my DW story, but that one isn't nearly as popular as this work of art, so DW is on hold for the time being.**

**(Not like anyone's really sad about that...)**

**Anyways, please, enjoy.**

* * *

Chapter Fifteen

Nate was asleep, and we were kind of...cuddling...

How did we get into this position? Well, let me kind of..._try _to explain.

It was the day after I revealed some of my past, and I was on look out, watching the water for any tell-tale signs of a big yellow submarine on our trail, when I realized that the island we were nearing was literally right in front of us. Nate was sleeping then as well.

I tried to get him up by calling his name, and then I started to lightly tap on his shoulder.

Finally, it boiled down to me having to blow in his ear a very strong breath that, according to him, made his ear ring for nearly an hour afterward.

We sailed onward to the island, and I realized with disdain that it was a winter island. I was never one for the snow, and I hated being cold. The fact that I didn't have the proper clothes was also a problem.

In any case, we got to the island and were greeted by a man named Kozu. He was an older man who was taking his granddaughter home after playing in the snow for a while. He offered to walk us to the only hotel on the island. He explained that they didn't get many visitors here. The kind man even offered me his coat, to which I declined and said that I was used to the cold.

It was a boldfaced lie. I was freezing to death as we walked on, and Nate knew I was lying. He took it upon himself to be helpful and wrap an arm around my shoulders. I curled my body in on his and stole as much warmth as I could while Kozu wasn't looking. I didn't want him to know that my body was turning into a Popsicle.

We arrived at the hotel and thanked Kozu. The woman asked if we wanted a room, and I specified that I wanted something with two beds.

They, unfortunately, didn't have any at the time.

Not many visitors, huh?

In the end, Nate and I were forced to share a room. He offered to sleep on the floor, but this place was freezing. It was nearly as cold in the hotel as it was outside in the snow. I told him we would share the bed, more for my benefit than his own. I was planning on stealing all of his body warmth while we lay on that bed.

We both rested on the bed for a while, taking advantage of being on something soft and comfortable instead of the wooden bottom of a small boat. Who wouldn't do something like that? Maybe an insane person wouldn't...

Well, I realized soon after laying there that the blanket was doing nothing to keep me warm. Nate looked at ease, his eyes closed and his breathing deep. I knew he was already asleep, and I knew that with how much bigger he was compared to me that he was pretty damn warm.

So, after much debate and inner turmoil, I sidled over closer to the man that I was lying beside, and I pressed myself against him.

Nate woke up faster than I could close my eyes.

He demanded to know what the hell I was doing, and when I explained my situation, he felt some sympathy for someone 'as twig-like' as me. Yeah, believe it or not, that son of a bitch called me a twig! So, he hesitantly wrapped his arms around me and held me close, offering as much warmth as he could. Then he fell asleep again.

That, ladies and gentlemen, is how I ended up lying flush up against the man I called my friend. My face was pressed against his broad chest, and his arms were wrapped tightly around my torso.

Honestly, I could have stayed like this forever. We had already been like this for about an hour, and as I looked at the clock, I saw that it was nearly five o'clock in the afternoon. Yeah, I was getting hungry, but I had never felt so...comfortable before. It wasn't because I was feeling things for Nate. Oh God, that man was kind of like that best friend that you would never think of having sex with. It could have been someone like...Zoro for all I care, and I still would have been content.

Well, on second thought, if I tried to snuggle with Zoro, he would probably try and chop my head off with his swords.

Anyways, I could have stayed like this for all eternity...but a ringing noise had reality come crashing down.

_Puru, Puru... Puru, Puru..._

I started to get up, but Nate tightened his hold on me considerably. I guess I wasn't the only one enjoying the comfort...

_Puru, Puru... Puru, Puru..._

Now Nate was waking up, and he started to blush when he saw how close my face was to his. When he pulled me back to him, I had to brace my hands on either side of his body to keep myself from falling onto him. This led to a rather...intimate position...

"Good morning, sunshine." I grinned like the Devil at him, which earned me an eye roll and a soft shove so that I was no longer hovering above the poor man. Once I was free, I rushed to my backpack that had been resting on a chair beside a small desk near the bed.

Nate let out a huge yawn and stretched, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "What the hell are you doing?" He asked, slumping over in his sitting position and watching me curiously. When I produced the ringing mini Den-Den Mushi, he understood. "Who's calling you?"

I gave a shrug and hesitantly answered. I mean, what if it was a furious Surgeon of Death that was going to tell us that he was standing right outside our door?

"H-Hello...?" Damn my stuttering tendencies when I got nervous!

The moment of silence before the person on the other end answered felt like a millennium, and I felt my blood run cold from fear.

Then the person talked.

"Mara, you better not be doing anything stupid!" I let out a sigh of relief and allowed myself to relax from the tense position I had been in. Nate still looked confused at the voice, but he seemed to be more relaxed than he had been before. "Dammit woman, I know you are not doing something that's gonna get you killed! If you are then I'm gonna have to—"

The person suddenly got silent and there was someone in the background that was speaking and laughing. I waited patiently, and as I did, Nate silently asked who I was talking to. I held up a finger and gave a small smile.

"Mara, are you still there?"

I gave a nod, but then remembered that he couldn't see me. "Yeah, I'm still here."

There was a laugh. "Sorry, Benn has been very on edge since he heard the news." I gave a slight snort, as if saying that was an understatement. "He knows that you and that rubber idiot will go after Ace, and he doesn't want you two to die."

"We're not gonna die." I reassured, hoping that Benn heard me as well. "C'mon Shanks, don't you have faith in our abilities?"

If I could have taken a picture of Nate's face, it would have kept me laughing until the day I died. His face paled, then it turned red, and then pale again. I thought he would throw up, and he just sputtered like an idiot while sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Of course I believe in you Mara, but it's gonna be an all-out war." I had already known this, but I didn't say anything and just listened while I watched Nate with amusement. "There are going to be plenty of Marines there—important Marines. You're going to Impel Down after all. Whitebeard will be there as well, since Ace is one of his." There was silence, then a sigh. "You're one of his as well."

Nate tried to form words, his face becoming paler. Then he gave up and just covered his face with his hands, resting his elbows on his knees.

"I know about all of this already. It'll be a family reunion!" I gave a small smile and had images of Ace, Luffy, Whitebeard and I sitting at a formal dinner table wearing fancy clothes and sipping wine. "I'll see my brothers and Pops again."

He let out a long drawn out sigh and was quiet for a moment. "You've been making yourself very known lately, Mara." I sweat-dropped and put a hand to my forehead. _Way to change the subject, Shanks... _"I heard that you had just recently escaped from some Marines."

"I guess you haven't heard that I just barely escaped from Bartholomew Kuma with my life."

There was a yell in the background from who I assumed was Benn that sounded like 'She can never stay out of trouble!'

Shanks just started laughing like a mad man. Was he drunk? "Well Mara, I'm guessing that you're on your way to Impel Down right now, yeah?" I gave an affirmative. "Be careful and don't die. Keep your brothers alive as well. I'll see you soon."

The line went dead and I was left with some questions. He would see me soon? Did that mean that he was coming to Impel Down as well, or was he saying that he would see me some other time in the future? I groaned and put the mini Den-Den Mushi back in my backpack and crawled back into the bed, cocooning myself in the blanket.

Nate finally came back to life.

"Were you just talking to _the _Red Hair Shanks?" I nodded slowly, feeling sleep pulling at me. "You know him, like, personally?" Again, I nodded in response. I opened my eyes when he went quiet and saw that he was nodding his head.

I sat up, but kept the blanket wrapped around me. "Is there something wrong, Nathaniel?" I asked quietly, actually concerned for my friend's well-being at that moment. He nodded even harder than he had been, but I didn't buy it. Scooting closer, I knelt beside him as he continued to sit on the edge of the bed, his feet resting flat on the floor. "Wanna tell me why you're acting so...weird right now?"

"I'm just... Well, it's kind of a shock. I mean, you seem to know_ everyone, _but I never thought that you would know a Yonko." I nodded in understanding, lowering myself so that I was sitting on my feet. "And he said that... He said that you were one of Whitebeards. What does he mean by that?"

I sighed and debated whether or not I should tell him _that _story. "I will tell you, but you can't get all curious and start asking questions. Do you understand?" He gave a nod, seeming to be pretty excited to hear what I was going to say. "I met Pops, err, Whitebeard when I was very young. I was actually eight years old and still living on my home island in the Grand Line."

I didn't miss his eyes darting to look at my neck, which was covered by my blanket cocoon.

"He had come to the island and claimed it as his own. When he discovered the things that I had been through and how the village had shunned me, he decided to bring me somewhere else and start fresh. So, I travelled with them for about a year until I ended up in Foosha Village with my brothers. They made me an honorary Whitebeard Pirate, but I wasn't the real deal."

Nate nodded through the whole tale, obviously struggling to fight the urge of being curious. I told him a little more than I had originally planned, but I felt that it was...necessary for him to know everything that I told him. He needed to know nothing more, and nothing less.

"Well, now that we had story time, can we got get some food?" He glanced at the clock and gave a one shoulder shrug. I took that as a yes and got excited, trying to stand up too fast. My foot caught on the bed sheet. That, mixed in with the fact that I feet fell asleep from sitting on them was a recipe for disaster. I tried to catch myself, but I was trapped in the cocoon that had been keeping me somewhat warm.

In all of three seconds, I fell flat on my face. My ass was stuck up in the air and I hurt my breasts on impact.

Nate got a real hoot out of this, and he let me know how wonderful my comedy act was by roaring with laughter. I thought about playing it off like I meant to do that, but I knew that would result in more laughing and some taunts in the future.

"I think I'm broken." My voice was muffled by the floor, but I knew he could make out my words because he laughed even harder. "Nate...I think I broke my face..."

The laughter continued, but after a while, it died down to chuckles and chortles. I felt arms wrap around my middle and lift me from the floor. I was set on my feet by the asshole who laughed at my pain, but he did seem to be trying to be a good friend at the time.

"Where did you..." He chuckled a little, but covered it quickly with a cough and got as serious as he could. "Where did you break your face?" I lifted a hand and circled it around my entire face, showing that the whole thing was broken. He shook his head and turned on his heel, starting to exit the room. "You'll be fine. Walk it off."

I glared as hard as I could at his back, but followed him from the room nonetheless. After all, he was the one who was carrying the Beries that would pay for dinner. "You're supposed to be more considerate of a lady's injuries."

"I'm telling you—I don't see a lady around here anywhere." I kicked the back of his knee as we walked down the hallway, smirking in satisfaction as he stumbled a little and had to use to wall to save his ass. "This is why you're eating my table scraps..."

I let out a laugh and skipped ahead so that I was walking directly beside Nate. He had a frown on his face, but his eyes held amusement. I figured I would try and make the best of our time until tomorrow came.

Tomorrow was the day of the execution, and it was the day that we had to get to Impel Down.

Our plans were to wake up extremely early and get our asses moving.

I wanted to make Nate laugh as much as possible before I walked into my sure death. Would he be sad when I died? Or would he not really care and get on with his life as if I never existed?

"What are you looking at?"

I came back to the present and realized that I had been staring at Nate for the time that we had been walking. He had a brow raised and was holding the door open for me as we walked into a small café that was inside the hotel. People turned and looked as we walked in, and I wondered how many of them recognized us as pirates.

I shook my head, answering his question. "I was just...thinking about tomorrow." It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't all that was crossing my mind.

"Well, for now, just have as much fun as possible." I raised a brow, surprised that his words echoed my thoughts from only moments ago. "We'll worry about tomorrow when tomorrow comes."

I grinned and sat at the booth with him, looking at the small menu that was already there and already seeing some delicious things that I wouldn't mind having as a last meal.

"I couldn't agree more, Nathaniel." I said, scanning the desert section with vigor. "I couldn't agree more."

* * *

**It seems to be a little...short and uneventful. I just liked this chapter as I wrote it, and of course, and every other author thinks, I feel like it could have been better. My oh my, I love Mara's character! I didn't even realize that she was exactly like me until my sister commented on it. Now, I'm looking back at everything that Mara has done with her weird personality and realized that Mara is me! o.O**

**WHAT A TWIST~!**

**Anyway, I hope you guys all enjoyed and I promise to have more out soon. I am already working on how amazing Marineford if going to be, and it's literally giving me goosebumps!**

**I love you guys so much~!**

**XoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXo**


	16. Leaving Safety

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE**

**!WARNING! - This chapter is going to be kind of short, and I apologize in advance. I will totally make up for it in my next chapter though.**

* * *

Chapter Sixteen

Tomorrow came too fast.

I couldn't get any sleep during the night, no matter how hard I tried. Nate slept like a baby, snoring like the annoying guy he is. All I did was lie in the bed and try to take my mind off of what would happen when we carried out my mission.

How would I tell Nate that I wanted him to stay on this island and wait for Law?

It had been the plan since the beginning of our adventures on the small boat. I knew that there was going to war, and I knew that there was going to be plenty of bloodshed. My death was imminent, and I didn't want someone like Nate to suffer the same fate. He shouldn't have to come with me and risk his life for people he didn't know.

So, when the time came to finally get up, I didn't bother to wake Nate up.

I twisted my body at odd angles and maneuvered my way out of his arms and onto the edge of the bed. I grabbed the shoes that I had been given on the submarine and slipped them on over the fluffy socks that I had worn to sleep.

Glancing over my shoulder every so often to make sure Nate was still asleep, I bundled up in a coat that I had bought last night and was ready to leave.

I really felt bad for leaving him here. Last night, at dinner, he was talking about how badass we would look, rushing into Impel Down and beating ass left and right. He told me that he would take down so many Marines that he would lose count, and that he would get an amazing bounty from this.

Nate was bristling with excitement all night about my rescue mission.

I walked over to the edge of the bed that he was curled up on, listening to his earth shattering snores. His face seemed at ease and relaxed—nothing like my worried face, which I had been told would give me wrinkles.

"Sorry, Dick Face," I whispered, pulling the blanket from where I had dropped it on the other side of the bed and putting it over him. "I need to do this alone."

I tiptoed out of the room, pulling his thick coat from the back of the chair on my way out. I didn't think he would need it right now and, when I saved Ace and Luffy, I would have them bring the coat back to Nate.

The weather outside was extremely bad right now. I didn't really think I would be able to make it to the boat, but Lady Luck was on my side this early morning.

"Miss, what are you doing out so early?" I looked to my left and saw...

"Old Man Kozu...?" The kind old man who showed us to the hotel yesterday was standing a few feet away, bundled from head to toe in the thickest and wooliest clothes I had ever seen on someone. His age made it seem like he was so frail standing there, but from the way that his feet were placed and how he seemed to be able to move without too much trouble, he looked well equipped for this harsh weather.

He squinted against the snowflakes to get a better look at me. When he finally made out my face, he grinned and walked closer. "Well, well, well young lady. I thought that you and that young man were leaving today."

I gave a nervous chuckle and scratched the back of my head. "Uhm well, you see, I kind of, uhm..."

Kozu held up a hand and gave me wink. "I understand." I had a feeling that he didn't _really _understand, but he just wanted me to stop stammering. "Would you like me to walk you to the docks? The weather is very unkind to strangers on this island."

"That would be very kind. Thank you, sir." Hey, I may be a pirate, but I was polite and respected my elders. Kozu let me take ahold of his arm and we walked over snow mounds and through this blizzard-like weather. "Tell me, how is your granddaughter?"

It took him a moment to answer, but when he did, he was practically beaming with pride. "Oh, my sweet little Amelia is doing well, thank you. She actually just turned ten a few days ago. That was why we were playing yesterday—she wanted that as a birthday present."

"That was rather sweet of you." I said, offering Kozu a small smile. "It's good that you take good care of your granddaughter."

He had a look on his face that translated to confusion. "Do you not have a grandpa, young lady?"

Well, that question was tough to answer.

Technically, Monkey D. Garp_ wasn't _my grandpa, but that was what I had always called him. He said he was my grandpa, and that I was his granddaughter, just like Ace and Luffy were his grandsons. Garp wasn't a...traditional grandpa though. His methods of 'showing love' were a little more extreme and painful than I think Kozu's would be.

"I have a grandpa." I said finally, noticing that we were coming up to the docks. The wood was partially seen under the mounds of snow. "He was just...not around very much." Garp was _never _at Foosha Village, and we were always left to take care of each other since Dadan wasn't around much either. She was always off with her bandits doing Lord knows what.

Kozu seemed saddened by this. "A grandfather's job is to protect their grandchildren when their parents can't." I nodded along with this philosophy, coming to a stop on the wooden dock but still standing beside the old man. "When you see you're grandpa next, you tell him that. I bet you he'll start to be a better man."

In all honesty, I could care less if Garp was in my life or not. He was a Marine, and I was a pirate, so we were enemies. I allowed Kozu to spout his 'Grandpa Philosophy' so that he could feel a sense of accomplishment and as a way of showing that I was grateful for him showing me to the docks.

Now, I had to leave.

"Well, thank you very much Old Man Kozu." He gave a nod and squeezed my hand in farewell. "Maybe I'll see you around if I ever stop by here again."

The man had a knowing twinkle in his eyes as he winked and lifted a hand. I got into my boat and started to untie the rope when I heard him speak again. "I'll see your face in the newspaper, Mara the Devil."

After my initial shock that he knew who I was the whole time, I laughed loud and waved goodbye to this mischievous old man, actually hoping now that I would see him again in the future.

The boat sailed away from the island, heading to where Ace was being kept. I began to think about how in the world I would be able to get into Impel Down without being killed before I could free Ace. Many scenarios ran through my head, and one that was featured most involved me jumping some poor lackey Marine, stealing his clothes, and sneaking in like that.

A smile spread over my face. I rather liked that idea. It was just cliché enough to probably work!

My smile disappeared, however, when I realized how incredibly cold I was. The coat I stole from Nate wasn't really doing much for keeping me from getting hypothermia. My lips were extremely dry and I knew that they were cracking in the most unattractive way ever. I was glad that no one was around to see _that. _

The waves lapped against the boat, sometimes in larger waves than normal and spilling water into the small vessel. I had to bring my knees up to my chest in order to stay as dry as I could, and I hoped and prayed to every God that there was that I would get out of this cold atmosphere as soon as possible. In the meantime, I wrapped my arms around myself and waited it out, trying to keep my toes from turning blue.

I looked out into the distance—out to the direction that I was heading. My eyes squinted against the wind, but I'm pretty sure that at that moment I looked pretty badass and determined. I was determined to save Ace, after all. I _needed _to save him.

It was my way of repaying him when he saved me from myself all those years ago. I was also repaying him for saving me from Raven in Foosha Village.

When I get to Impel Down, shit is going to hit the fan.

_I'm coming idiot...just don't get yourself killed before I can get there!_

* * *

**[A/N] As I said, this is short, but I felt like this was a more logical place to stop the chapter.**

**In the next chapter, as Mara said, shit it gonna hit the fan FO'REAL! Get ready suckas-you need to be prepared for this level of awesomeness ^_^**

**M'kay, next chapter will be out _hopefully _by this weekend, but I won't make any promises that I can't keep.**

**Love you guysssssssssss~!**

**XoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXo**


	17. Entering Danger

**Hey guys, I'm not dead! Sorry it's been so long though, I've just been sooooooo very busy. It's coming to the end of the school year and I just finished state testing, and then I have an AP exam that I have to get ready for, and it's just a lot of stress.**

**I'm sure you guys don't really care, but I feel like I need to explain my absence to you ^_^**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**DISCLAIMER: YEAH, I STILL DON'T OWN ONE PIECE. IF IT EVER HAPPENS, I'LL LET YOU GUYS KNOW.**

* * *

Chapter Seventeen

"Good afternoon, ma'am." The Marine who walked past tipped his hat down in greeting, offering a small, shy smile and didn't look at my face.

I nodded back in greeting and tipped the Marine hat I wore forward, further concealing my face in the shadow of the brim. "Good afternoon, sir." I said back, keeping my voice low since I was paranoid that someone would recognize it.

When the man said nothing more and continued down the hallway in the way that he was going, I exhaled a sigh of relief and let my shoulders sag from their stiff position. I had been walking around Impel Down for a good twenty minutes, and I had an idea where to go.

Although, that didn't mean that I knew how to get there.

In all actuality, I was incredibly lost. I wasn't one of those confident lost people who believe that they're going the right way no matter what, like a certain moss head that I hadn't seen in a while. No, I was one of those people that _knew _that they got lost and tried to fix it, only to make it worse most of the time.

My plan to steal a uniform from one of the weaker Marines worked flawlessly, which came as a pleasant surprise. The guy had no idea what hit him, and when I wrapped my vines around his ankles, he was so scared that he literally knocked himself out by falling backwards and hitting his head on the wall. It actually made me feel bad for stealing his clothes and leaving him in his heart-patterned boxers, but I had to do what I had to do.

At this current time, I was standing in the middle of a large hallway, trying to get to the execution grounds. I had heard some people saying that they were going there, but when I tried to follow them out, they seemed to disappear from sight.

"Jesus Christ..." I grumbled angrily, turning a corner and crashing into something that was pretty damn solid. I would have thought it was a wall if I didn't hear the 'Oof' that followed the collision. I backed away a few steps and tilted my head down slightly, looking at the black shoes that seemed to have a few scuffs on them. "I'm sorry, sir."

_Oh lord, I hope this person _is _a 'sir'!_

A hand reached down and grabbed my shoulder roughly, turning my quickly and taking ahold of my wrists. I put up a struggle, trying to keep this creep off of me, but to no avail. I didn't want to use my Devil Fruit powers, because I didn't know if this person knew who I really was. Maybe they were just mad that I bumped into them.

That thought left my mind when the person growled in my ear. "You're under arrest, Mara the Devil."

I felt sick to my stomach and started to struggle even more, but the person had an iron grip on my wrists. I couldn't help but think that the voice was familiar in some way, but I couldn't be sure in my frantic state of mind. I mean, seriously! Who comes to save someone, and ends up getting caught by the people that they're saving them from? It makes no sense! Tears started to well up and—

The hands let go of my wrists and I fell backwards into a chest before I ran a few steps forward and turned to face my attacker. That damn hat was in my eyes, so I grabbed it and threw it down to the ground, not caring anymore since someone already knew who I was.

I looked up at a face that was covered in the shadow of the brim, just as mine was a few seconds ago. The person was muscular and looked a little too big for his clothes. I glared my eyes, ready for another attack. I looked up to see some brown hair peeking out from under that Marine cap.

The person then lifted his hat a little so that I could see his face. Brown eyes were staring back at me. Brown eyes that were eerily similar to my own glared at me so intensely that I felt myself die a little inside.

"You're under arrest for leaving me, you asshole."

Nate had a grimace on his face, but I was left stunned. How the hell did he know where to find me? Why did he have to scare me like that?

I stepped forward and punched him in the arm, glaring at him with an intensity that matched his own. His eyes seemed to be screaming at me, but he looked eerily calm on the outside.

"How did you get here so fast?" I asked, trying to locate a clock around the hallway somewhere, but coming up empty handed. "What did they do, shoot you from a canon?"

His eyes glazed over a moment and memories seemed to haunt him before he shook his head, clearing his brain. "We don't have time for that right now." So, from that reaction, I think that I guessed correctly. "You do know that someone is already trying to rescue your brother, right?"

I jumped up and looked at him urgently. "Someone's already here? Who the hell is it?"

"Monkey D. Luffy showed up about ten minutes ago, busting out of the actual prison with a bunch of inmates, screaming about how he was going to save his brother no matter what." I bit my lip and was ready to say something, but Nate beat me to it. "So, I'm guessing that Straw Hat is your brother as well?" I gave a nod and looked down, but didn't have time to dwell on that as my hand was grabbed and I was dragged down the hallway. "Let's get out there and join the fight, yeah?"

I smirked and felt tears well in my eyes again, but willed them down and nodded wholeheartedly. "Yeah, let's go. Someone's gonna have to save those idiots."

I allowed myself to get dragged, since I assumed that Nate knew where he was going. I wondered what was going on outside, and where the hell I had been the whole time. I mean, if I was inside the prison part, I probably would have heard Luffy busting out with some inmates. That led me to wonder who he had busted out, and if they were going to be helpful or not.

Now that I focused on what was going on outside, I could actually hear the fighting. I heard screams, and some insults about pirates. I smirked, knowing that Luffy was probably doing just fine on his own and he wouldn't need me. I mean, he did have an entire crew to back him up, and I'm sure that they would risk their necks for that idiot.

"I'm not sure if you know this, but Straw Hat doesn't have his crew with him." The shock nearly made me halt, but Nate dragged me along. "He came alone as far as I can tell, but some of the inmates are helping him out with getting to Fire Fist." Where was his crew? What the hell happened since Sabaody?

The sounds of fighting were getting louder, and I was getting more anxious to see my brothers. There was one thing on my mind that I had to get out in the open. "You weren't supposed to follow me." I said, having to raise my voice slightly so that he could hear me. "This is my problem and I don't want you to die—"

Nate stopped so suddenly that I slammed into his back. I would have fallen backwards if he didn't have a hold on my hand, which tightened considerably. Was he angry?

"I snuck you off the Submarine, and I brought you all the way here at the cost of incurring the wrath of the Surgeon of Death." It sounded like he was being dramatic, but I knew he was being deadly serious. "No one is going to die here, and I am going to carry this out to the end." He turned then and slammed a Marine cap down on my head, covering my eyes with the way he put it on so hard.

I groaned and pulled it up so that I could see the world. "Why do I have this on? I was just about to take it off and—"

"We're not just gonna go out there and kick ass." He said, adjusting his own cap so that it was lower on his head. "We're gonna me 'Marines' until we get to Fire Fist, and then we'll free him and be on out merry way. That is, after we grab Straw Hat, of course."

I was at a loss for words, but had no qualms about the plan. "You actually sound kind of smart, Mister Nathaniel." I said with a smirk, offering a chuckle when he slapped me in the back of my head. I then got serious, rubbing the place where he slapped me and looked him in the eye. "You can back out now if you want." I offered, afraid that he would die along with me. "I was dead set on dying here this whole time. That was why I left you on that island."

At my confession his eyes darkened and he smirked. "I had a feeling that was what was going on, so that's why I had come and save your stupid ass." My eyes widened and the sounds of the battle outside invaded my ears, causing me to flinch every once and a while. "I mean, we're best friends, aren't we Mara?"

I smiled warmly and nodded, grabbing ahold of his hand a squeezing, as if in reassurance. "Let's do this shit, Nate." He agreed and we went out the door, avoiding the many fighting people as we looked around for Ace or Luffy. "Do you see him?" I shouted to Nate, not specifying who I was talking about, but I had a feeling that he knew.

He shook his head and continued to look around, having more of an advantage since he was a giant compared to me. "We should split up!" I agreed, patting his shoulder once and running off into the fighting.

There were Marines trying to keep some inmates at bay, swiping at them with swords and shooting as much as they could, hoping to hit something. I was almost hit once, and in my anger, I used my Devil Fruit powers and hit the guy over the head with an extremely thick vine.

When that guy that was easily exposed of and I succeeded in not calling any attention to myself, I started heading through the crowds of fighting people. Some inmates took swipes at me, but I easily dodged and got away. I didn't really blame them for the confusion. I was dressed as a Marine, after all, so they believed me to be the enemy.

Looking to my left, I saw something that truly surprised me.

My younger brother, Monkey D. Luffy was laughing like a maniac until he was suddenly intercepted by Dracule Mihawk. He had been making his way somewhere, and when I looked to the direction he was heading, I saw Ace on top of a platform, shock evident on his face. Did he not expect us to come and save his ass?

"I'm gonna kick your ass, and then I'm gonna get Ace and we're gonna get the hell out of here!" My attention was drawn back to Luffy, who was trying to hold his own against Hawk-Eyes by dodging that menacing sword and using his Devil Fruit powers as much as he could without getting a limb chopped off.

Well, now I was in quite a dilemma...

Luffy was fighting against a man that I knew and spent some time with, and I was within distance to save his ass. Mihawk would probably kill me anyway, but then Luffy could get going and save our older brother.

On the other hand, I now knew where Ace was, and I could easily let Luffy handle himself against Mihawk and save Ace myself. In the long run, Luffy would probably be the best person to get up there and save Ace...

My decision was made when my feet started moving to Luffy.

He had just jumped up in the air and was about to strike at Mihawk with his fists, but the best swordsman in the world seemed to predict his movement and moved his giant sword up and was ready to cut Luffy's arm. I took the opportunity and pointed my hand towards Mihawk, wrapping some vines around his arms and succeeding in shocking the man.

Mihawk looked around himself, trying to find me. His eyes went over my figure at least twice, but he didn't comprehend that I, dressed as a Marine and an ally, would be the one to attack him. Apparently, Luffy was having trouble realizing it was me as well. All he saw was an approaching Marine, and decided to take me out as quick as possible.

So, one moment I was holding Mihawk back and the next I was sailing into him from a punch in the face. He couldn't even move out of the way because I still have my vine-hold on him, so we flew to the ground together and landed in a heap.

"Son of a bitch..." I groaned, disentangling my legs from Mihawk's and sitting up.

The Shichibukai beside me sat up as well and looked as pissed as I had ever seen him look before. "What the hell do you—" I failed to notice that my hat had fallen off of my head, revealing the pile of brown hair on top of my head, as well as my face and my newly acquired scar. His eyes widened considerably, but then they narrowed dangerously.

"Mara, what the hell do you think you're doing?" I was at a loss for words, so I simply pushed him back down by his shoulder and jumped up, ignoring the bruising pain in my legs and head and ran to where Luffy was. He looked shocked as well.

When I made it to him, I grabbed his arm and started to drag him the opposite way, to where Ace was waiting for us. "Mara, did you become a Marine while you were gone?"

"No, I didn't become a Marine, you idiot. I—"

Footsteps were approaching quickly, and when I turned, Mihawk was ready to strike with his sword. I took Luffy's arm and flung him in front of me, effectively sending him stumbling a few steps before I stopped and turned to face the Shichibukai that looked enraged.

"Mara, don't—"

Luffy reached out his rubber arms and grabbed onto my shoulders, pulling me back towards him while a large figure stepped in front of us, blocking Mihawk's sword swipe with his...hand? How is that even possible?

Oh, wait a second...is that...?

Dark eyes, framed with wrinkles and topped with dropping eyebrows faced us, and came to rest on my face a moment longer than I was comfortable with. This man was a reptile, just as his name said he was, so why was he helping us? He didn't even like me anyways! So that must mean that he was here for...

"Get going, Straw Hat. I've got this guy." Crocodile's voice rang out in the silence between all of us, and he didn't have to tell Luffy twice. The rubber kid jumped up and dragged me along with him, thanking the Shichibukai over his shoulder.

As we ran, many Marines attempted to kill us, but we simply disposed of them with our awesome sibling powers. Well, there was also the help of our Devil Fruits, but it was mostly because we were awesome. I happened to notice that a lot of people that were wearing inmate uniforms were actually _clearing a path _for us. Well, more like they were clearing a path for _Luffy._

Of all the people that I saw, I realized that I recognized quite a few of them. I saw Buggy the Clown fighting off a few Marines with his pirate crew, as well as a couple of ex-Baroque Works agents. There was also Boa Hancock, who was claiming that she wasn't on any side, and that the Marines that she was knocking out were simply 'in her way'. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of the fish man Jinbe, who was kicking some ass near where Crocodile had just saved us from Mihawk.

I had heard, from various screams of Marines that Whitebeard had arrived with his crew on the Moby Dick.

Luffy had let go of my hand and used some random things as something to hold onto so that he could slingshot himself up to where Ace was. Ace, at the same time, was watching us with surprise and joy in his eyes, and I wondered how long it would take him to start crying.

"Luffy, Mara—"

Ace was cut off by Luffy, who flung himself up to the platform and was yelling back. "We're here for you Ace!"

"—don't be idiots!"

I sweat dropped and knocked a few Marines away with my vines. _Leave it to Ace to ruin an epic moment by calling his saviors idiots..._

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**Sorry, this wasn't as long as I intended it to be, but hey, shit happens, right?**

**If I can get myself to stop studying for a while, I'll probably get a chapter posted tomorrow, but it not, then it will come sometime this week or next weekend.**

**As always, I love you all and appreciate reviews and favorites to my story.**

**Keep reading, my wonderful fans ^_^**

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	18. An End to It All

**DON'T WORRY-THIS IS NOT THE LAST CHAPTER!**

**As promised, another quick chapter. Sorry in advance if it seems...rushed? I mean, I'm not the greatest at prolonged scenes and fighting. I tried though, so that's all that matters.**

**DISCLAIMER: YEAH...I THINK YOU KNOW HOW THIS GOES BY NOW, RIGHT?**

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Chapter Eighteen

I wasn't stupid, or an idiot, as Ace said I was.

I knew that if I went up to where my brothers were now fighting together, then I would only be in their way and get all three of us killed. So, instead of risking it, I took it upon myself to help clear out the Marines that were trying to stop Luffy and Ace.

Some of them were easy to take care of. With one hit to the head with a vine or my fist and they were down for the count. There were more, on the other hand, that were more difficult to take care of. One guy in particular, who just seemed to be a creep, gave me some trouble.

I had just knocked some Marine into another, effectively taking care of two birds with one stone. Then, as I was about to get another one that was coming towards me, I was knocked to the ground with such force that I slid across the ground a good couple of feet before coming to a stop.

Laughter rang out behind me, and as I lifted myself from the ground painfully, I turned and looked at one of the largest Marines that I had seen. Granted, he was definitely not as large as Kuma or that freak Gekko Moriah, but he was at least seven feet tall.

As soon as I made it shakily to my feet, with blood running down my cheek from a cut on my head, he was advancing on me, a grin on his face. "I've always wanted to catch a female pirate." I cocked a brow at this statement, keeping my cool on the outside but freaking the fuck out on the inside. "You girls are always more fun than the men."

He was still a few feet from me, but he swung his hand out to strike me again. He would have hit me if I hadn't backed away as hastily as I did. I brought my hands up and faced my palms towards him, bringing up vines from the ground and wrapping them around his arms while I held the ends as if they were rope. I smirked at him, proud that I had been able to catch ahold of the giant man, but my smirk went away as fast as it had come when he started to laugh.

"Well, well, well, look at you having Devil Fruit powers! You must think that you're some pretty powerful pirate, huh?" He continued to laugh and actually got some tears in his eyes, but none of this stopped me from keeping my hold on his arms. "I have to tell you, girly, I didn't think that someone could be so _stupid!_"

The Marine gave me a wink before he leaned forward at the waist, as if he was bowing to me, and then flinging his upper body back, lifting his arms above his head at the same time. This caused me to be thrown off of the ground and over the Marine's head. My vines were weak due to my exhausted state, so when I went over his head, they dropped from his arms and flew out of my hands as well.

If I had known he was going to do that, then I wouldn't have held onto the vines like they were ropes!

I didn't have time to dwell on that when my body slammed into the ground so hard that something cracked, and I don't know if it was the ground or me that made the sickening noise. I had landed on my back, and my head was turned away from the Marine and towards the war that was raging on. I caught sight of a certain someone who was too damn big for his own good, and had a mustache instead of a beard, like his name said.

"Hey girly, you can't die yet 'cause I aint done with you!" Slowly, my head turned back the Marine, who was currently stomping over to me, with that grin still on his face. "You wanna know the reason why you girls are better than the men?" If he gave me time to answer, then I would have said that I didn't care, but he continued to talk. "I love how high pitched your screams are."

He was right before me now, squatting down and resting his elbows on his knees, allowing his hands to dangle dangerously close to me. I think he was still talking, but I had tuned him out, thinking about myself.

If this was Luffy or Ace fighting this guy, they would have kicked his ass in about three seconds flat. But here I was, barely able to flick the guy, let alone beat him to a bloody pulp. I knew the reason was because I was weak, but I thought that I would be of at least_ some _help. Instead, I think I was just causing more problems. The only time I was of any help was when I distracted Mihawk and saved Luffy from his sword.

Why did I have to be so weak compare to everyone else?

"Hey, I know that you're not ignoring me!" My eyes focused in on the Marine before widening at what he was planning on doing. His hands were hovering over me with his palms downward, preparing to strike. Was he going to squash me like a bug?

My eyes narrowed and I decided that I wouldn't let him win. Yeah, I was planning on dying here, but I was damned if I let someone like _him _kill me.

Before he started to swing his hands down, I ignored the pain in my body and rolled over a few times away from him, succeeding in dodging the hands that cracked the ground with their strength. A sigh of relief came from my mouth when I got to my hands and knees, thankful that I had dodged in time. When I stood, I looked up at the Marine's face to see a satisfying smile on his lips.

He stood and brushed his hands together, chuckling a little before looking over and seeing me. When our eyes met, his widened and mine narrowed.

Without giving him time to recover, I lifted my hands and wrapped more vine around his arms, but then continued and wrapped them around the rest of his body, leaving only his head free. With my newfound determination, my vines had gotten stronger, since its super cliché and would obviously happen. I saw the marine struggling against the vines, but to no avail.

With a smirk, I walked forward and stood right before him. "I always wanted to catch a male Marine." I mimicked his words from earlier before reaching my hands towards him, palms facing his body, and clenched them into fists, thus tightening the vines and cutting off his airways.

One he passed out from lack of air, I walked away, leaving him tied up, but not killing him. I saw that everyone was still fighting, and the war was raging on like there was no way to stop it. In all actuality, there probably wasn't going to be an end until one whole side was dead.

"Hey, Mara—"

I turned to the sound of the voice, finding Nate looking as bad as I did, before we both started stumbling, as if there was a large earthquake hitting Impel Down. I thought about the giant man with a mustache and smiled, stumbling around a little more and falling to my knees with a sigh and pained gasp.

When the tremors stopped, Nate walked to me and picked me up off the ground by grabbing my wrists. He looked me over, taking in my black eye—courtesy of Luffy—and the bruises and scratches that I had acquired from fighting the Marines.

I took in the scratches he had as well, more specifically the one that ran along the left side of his face from his temple to his shoulder. There were a few more on his arms, and he had plenty of bruises covering his face and arms. I noticed that his shirt had been ripped, revealing his chest, which had yet another wound running from his right shoulder to his left peck.

"You look like shit..." I mumbled, looking back up at his face. He scowled and shook his head, dragging me along with him. "Where are we...?"

He started to jog when another small tremor shook the ground. "Whitebeard just declared to his crew that he's gonna die here." I widened my eyes and felt tear well up. "Fire Fist and Straw Hat are fighting their way through the Marines right now, but the Admirals are still trying to execute the two of them."

"So where the hell are we going?" I demanded again, realizing that he was only giving me a status report of what was going on, but not answering my question.

He smirked over his shoulder at me, a twinkle in his eye. "I'm bringing you to Whitebeard—as per his orders."

When I peeked over Nate's shoulder, I saw Whitebeard standing there, fighting off a few Marines alongside his crew. I spotted a few familiar faces, namely Marco, Vista, and Izo. Nate and I dodged a few more attacks before coming closer to the Whitebeard Pirates, who seemed to spot us now. Well, Marco spotted us.

He rushed over and clapped Nate on the back before taking a long look at me. I smiled at the pineapple-headed man, thinking of how much I missed seeing his face. His eyes roamed over my face and came in contact with my black eye, and then my new scar, and then his eyes narrowed.

"Well little girl, I see that you've been very busy lately." I thought he was talking about my new injuries, but then I saw his eyes look pointedly at me and Nate's linked hands. I blushed and jerked my hand away, Nate doing the same, before I threw my arms around Marco's neck and resting my head on his shoulder.

Marco hugged back, rubbing my back a few times before we broke apart. I had tears in my eyes and I was honestly happy to see him again after so long. When I was younger and on the ship, he would always be the one to make fun of me for everything, but he was also my bug brother before I had Ace to fill that spot.

His eyes, on the other hand, were hard with emotion. I saw him look over at Whitebeard before turning back to me and giving me a strange look. "Pops wants to see you."

"How did he find out that I was here?" I quested as the three of us walked over to where Pops was. Nate rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, and it didn't take long for me to piece it all together. "You told him?"

Marco nodded, answering for Nate. "When Pops declared that he planned all along to die here, this guy here decided to tell him that you were here."

"I figured that you would wanna see him one last time..."

Nate was being very considerate, and I was thankful for being able to have the chance to see the man that saved my life one last time. I mean, I didn't want him to die, but whenever he sets his mind on something, you can't get him to change that decision.

"My most beautiful daughter, it's wonderful to see you again!" I looked up at Whitebeards face and completely lost it. He looked a little worse for wear because of his wounds that he sustained while fighting here, but also because he looked so weak in the face. I don't know how to describe it, but he just looked...old and worn out.

That was the reason that the tears—that damn things that I always kept hidden and tried to fight back—spilled over my cheeks and onto the ground in front of me. I bit my lip hard, drawing blood, in an attempt to keep the sobs back. I wanted him to stay alive, but I had known all along because of his fading health that Pops would die sooner or later.

Apparently, God decided that it should be sooner.

I felt saw his large hand before it scooped me up and brought me closer, holding my much smaller to his. Now the sobs broke free and I slammed my hand against his chest softly, angry at myself more than him. If only I could do something to save him! Why did I have to be the most worthless one in a battle around here?

"Don't cry for me, my daughter."

Blood ran from my bottom lip, mixing with the tears that were running down my cheeks. "I-I can't help it! I d-don't wanna lose y-you!"

"You still have your brothers, and you have all of my sons and daughters. They are all a part of me, so as long as they all live, you won't lose me."

I drew back, wiping my face furiously of the cursed tears that had spilled over. "I'm so—"

"Ace, don't do it!" Marco's shout turned my attention to where he was looking, which revealed that Ace was fighting against an Admiral while Luffy was collapsed on the ground nearby.

The Admiral was obviously a Devil Fruit user, since he was using an arm made of lava to attack Ace, who was trying to counterattack with his fire. I got out of Pops' hold and started forward, watching in awe as they fought each other.

Luffy then tried to assist, but fell down again. The lava Admiral turned to my little brother and that's when I decided to act.

I heard everyone shouting behind me, but I couldn't stop now. Luffy needed me—Ace needed me!

I pushed people out of my way, not caring if they were a pirate or a Marine at that point. I watched as the Admiral lifted his lava fist to Luffy, and I pushed myself those last few feet to where they were.

Ace had jumped up and went in front of the attack, his back to the Admiral, ready to take the fist in the chest.

"Get out of the way you fucking moron!" I screamed it as loud as I could. Ace and Luffy's eyes jumped to me as I leaped forward, my eyes glued to the Admiral.

When my feet left the ground, I thought that I would be too late. I brought my hands forward and grabbed onto the Admiral, knocking us both to the ground and rolling a few times, switching from me being under him to me being on top of him.

I felt a heat that was so severe it seemed as if it was cold, and when we finally stopped moving, I was underneath the Admiral, his fist that had been lava resting on my hand. It hurt so badly, but I didn't have time to think about it as he started to get up.

"Mara the Devil has come to join the party as well, huh?" He lifted his hand, revealing my burned flesh and nearly causing me to gag at the smell. "I guess I can kill you first then."

I smirked and tried to distract him with my vines, but he simply burned them away with his lave powers. I was weak compared to him, but I still had the smirk on my face. "Kill me then." I said, lifting my uninjured hand and using it to hit in in the face.

I knew that a simple punch to the face wouldn't do much, so instead of punching him, I poked him in the eyes with my fingers.

He yelled at me and struck out with a lava fist blindly. I moved side to side underneath him, dodging the fist as best as I could. Some of my hair had been seared off, which combined with the smell of my burnt flesh and making my eyes water.

I brought my knee up and got him in a place that hurts men the most. He rolled off of me and I sat up, seeing that a lot of the men that had been watching were now grabbing their manhood with pained looks, as if I had hit_ them. _

"Mara, what the hell are you doing?" Ace had run over and grabbed me by the front of my Marine uniform, glaring into my eyes. When he noticed the puffiness of my previous crying, and smelled the burning flesh, his eyes softened and he glared down at the Admiral. "Get outta here with Luffy."

I shook my head and used my good hand to grab his shoulder, walking towards Luffy with Ace in tow, complaining at me. "We came here to save you, and you're gonna get saved whether you want to or not."

When I looked back, I saw a bunch of pirates start to attack the lava Admiral. Among them was Marco, who sent me a smirk before using his Devil Fruit powers to join in on the attack.

"Mara, why the hell did you come here and risks your life for me?"

I looked over my shoulder at Ace, who was coming willingly now. "Well, Luffy saved me a while ago from the Marines, and now it was my turn to save someone. So, since you were the only one captured at the time, it had to be you."

"But... Mara...!" I stumbled and lurched forward, falling down on my face. The pain had become too much to handle. I knew that I was weak from using my powers a lot, and from getting my ass handed to me a couple of times, but I didn't think that I would just simply fall on my face in the middle of being badass. I felt someone lift me, and when I looked up, Ace was...crying?

I reached up my good hand and touched his tear stained cheeks, smiling at the fact that he was being a little wimp at a time like this. He looked down at me and smiled through the tears, lifting my face towards his and planting a kiss on my forehead.

"Thank you, Mara."

I sighed and closed my eyes, wanting to tell him that there was no need to thank me, but not getting the chance to before I passed out from the pain. I knew that I was smiling though, since I was feeling extremely proud of myself.

_Mission accomplished..._

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**I'm proud of myself because I feel like this chapter is pretty long. I hope you guys liked it, and I hope that everything didn't seem too cliché, but it probably did anyway. But hey, what's a story without a few good clichés, right?**

**Anyways, I'm already working on the next chapter, so I hope that it will be out soon. I am just such an indecisive writer that Chapter Nineteen will probably be written at least twelve times before I'm fine with how it turns out.**

**As always, I love all of you and your reviews. Continue to read and review, and I will continue to write ^_^**

**I love you guys~ ^_^**

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	19. Normal?

**DISCLAIMER: YEAH...I STILL DON'T OWN ONE PIECE...**

**Anyways, I kind of like this chapter because it was pretty fun to write. I hope you guys enjoy it~**

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Chapter Nineteen

The time had finally come.

I had been awake for the past couple of hours, and someone kept on coming in to check on me. Whenever that happened, I would close my eyes and keep my breathing even, making it seem as though I was still passed out from the events at Marineford. I never got to see who had come in to see me, but I always assumed it was one pissed of Surgeon of Death, hoping that I was awake so he could probably kill me or something.

So, when someone came into the infirmary when I wasn't looking, I had finally been caught.

I had been staring at that light that flickered—the same one that I stared at when I first woke up on the Heart Pirate's submarine. This distraction caused my focus to be on that light and not on the sounds of approaching footsteps.

When Shachi walked in, I was thoroughly surprised and didn't have enough time to convincingly act as though I had been asleep. He seemed surprised as well by the fact that he stopped in the doorway and his mouth hung open like a fish out of water.

After a moment, he pulled himself together and walked all the way into the room, closing the door behind him with a _click. _"Well, I suppose you decided to stop faking." My eyes widened, but I looked away quickly. How did he know? "After the first three times coming in here, Penguin and I came to the conclusion that you were already awake."

I gave a long sigh and looked back at the casquette hat wearing man, glaring at him halfheartedly. "Well, I guess you guys were smarter than I thought." He grinned and blushed, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "So, how much trouble am I in?"

Shachi shrugged and crossed his arms over his chest. "Killian, Carlos, Tino, Penguin, and I have been fighting to keep you out of trouble ever since you and Nate left. Dougal has been a little upset about you getting punished, but he hasn't spoken openly about it. I think he's shy because of his crush on you."

"That's awkward..." I thought aloud, thinking of the red haired nephew of the ship who always seemed a little too happy to see me. I guess that explained his odd behavior around whenever I walked in for a meal. "Wait a second..."

I lifted myself up a little too fast into a sitting position, clutching at my side in pain as I looked around the room. All of the beds were empty.

"Is Nate already dead?" I asked in fear. Another thought came to mind and I gasped, looking back at Shachi with more fear in my eyes. "Where's Ace and Luffy?" I whispered, fearing the worse had come to my brothers.

Shachi smirked and lifted the bill of his hat to wink a blue eye at me. I cocked a brow, the fear slowly fading from me as he walked over to my bed and looking at the many machines, as if he knew what he was doing.

"So...can I leave the infirmary?" I asked, hoping that the machines were telling him that I was okay enough to be walking around.

Shachi shrugged and grinned. "I have no idea!" I sweat dropped at how proud he sounded of himself. "I know that I have to tell Law that you're awake, though. Maybe he can—"

"What better way to let him know that I'm awake then by taking me out to where he is and letting him see me for himself?" I figured that if we were surrounded by people, he would hold off on trying to kill me.

That grin that was on his face fell into a flat line. He seemed to think a moment, but he didn't answer me verbally. Instead, he sighed heavily and tried to fight off the smirk. "You just want to see Nate and everyone else." I hoped that he meant that 'everyone else' was my brothers, but I nodded nonetheless. A light bulb seemed to flash over his head. "You're too injured to walk...so I will have to carry you..."

I couldn't help but notice the blood that started to trickle from his nose.

_Little pervert..._

Ripping the blanket off and ignoring the pain that came from under the numerous bandages, I scooted to the edge of the bed and held up my hands to Shachi. As I did, I noticed that one hand was heavily bandaged and throbbing in pain. Shaking my head, I refocused on Shachi, ignoring the wound. "Well, are you gonna help me up, or are you just gonna sit there with blood running from your nostrils?" I demanded, getting impatient and tired of holding up my arms.

Shachi jumped into action—literally—and grabbed ahold of my good hand and the opposite, lifting me slowly so that I was on my feet. The pain didn't come immediately, but once he let go, allowing my entire weight to be put on my own feet, the pain came crashing down like a train slamming into my body.

When I gasped out in pain, he grabbed onto my arms and took some of the weight. I breathed out a 'thanks' when he bent down slightly and let put one of my arms over his shoulders, supporting my weight as we slowly made our way out of the infirmary.

After a few minutes of awkward silence, the sounds of the small but rambunctious crew started to fill my ears. Well, they obviously weren't as bad as Luffy's, but they had their moments.

Shachi decided then to break the silence with talk. "You know, I don't think Law is gonna kill you." I made a curious noise, which he took as encouragement to explain his reasoning. "He honestly didn't seem that mad that you guys were gone. I mean, it kind of seemed like he knew you were gonna go anyways, and he knew that you were gonna take Nate with you."

This struck me as odd. "Why would he not stop us if he knew we were gonna go and save Ace?" I asked him, frowning when he only shrugged as a response. "Do you know for sure that he didn't look mad?" I asked, hopeful that I would be able to live to see tomorrow. Again, Shachi shrugged, not giving me an answer that I wanted to hear.

We finally made it to the mess hall, standing before the door a moment and looking at each other. I was kind of nervous about going in, afraid because I didn't know exactly who was behind that door. Shachi, feeling this nervousness in the way that I tensed up, stopped and looked down at me.

"We can always go back and—"

I cut off his suggestion with a quick shake of my head. "You already helped me all the way down here. I might as well get this over with and face punishment at the hands of that psychopath."

Shachi chuckled and adjusted his hold on me before stepping forward and pushing open the door.

The things that I saw when I looked into the mess hall were...hard to forget.

The first person I saw was the resident giant Jean Bart, who had taken up helping with navigation when he joined the crew on Sabaody. Nate informed me of his position when we spent all that time together before running off. When I asked why I had never seen him, I was told that he liked to keep to himself in the navigation room, usually with Tino and Killian.

Well, I had been told that he was large, but seeing him now in comparison with everyone else made the size difference more evident and known to me.

Even so, his size wasn't what had shocked me upon entering the cafeteria.

It was actually the fact that everyone—excluding the giant man—was shoving straws up their noses and hooking them into their bottoms lips, pulling the skin down and making them look absolutely ridiculous. Everyone was laughing really hard while crowding around a table, tears streaming down some faces.

Jean Bart looked kind of pissed, but I started to realize that the expression was normal and it never really changed, even if he was having fun.

Shachi didn't seem too surprised by the scene since he simply shook his head and chuckled before continuing on while still supporting my weight.

When I was ready to ask what was happening, my name was shouted from across the room.

My eyes went from Shachi's face to the person who called me in a matter of seconds, the voice all too familiar. Nate had turned to face me, bandaged in quite a few places and adorning the straws that everyone else had. He tried to grin, but the sight turned out to look too wrong when the straws strained the movement.

"So he's not dead yet, huh?" I announced to Shachi, who simply chuckled and brought me over to the table. "Well, at least Law's keeping him alive..."

Shachi rolled his eyes—I think—and scoffed. "I already told you that—"

There was another shout of my name to cut off Shachi's words, and then two blurs rushed forward. I didn't even have time to analyze what was happening until I was knocked out of Shachi's hold and onto my back, gasping in pain with bodies on top of my own.

When we slid a few feet and the room got quiet, I started to breathe again.

I had a hunch about who they were before I even opened my eyes.

My suspicions were confirmed when two pairs of eyes looked down at me. One grinning face had that small scar under its left eye while the other was adorned with freckles.

The pain went away momentarily as I looked back at my brothers, a grin forming on my own face as I reached up and hugged both of them around the neck at the same time, crushing them to my body in the process.

Luffy let out a loud laugh, his arms going to hold his weight up when I pulled him down. Ace protested at first, but then he chuckled and planted his hand on the floor, doing the same as Luffy.

"Mara, we all thought you were gonna sleep forever! You should eat some of the meat they got here—it's super good!" Luffy's childlike voice rang out in the silence of the room, making me laugh and nearly cry with joy. He was alright, and that was what really mattered.

Ace spoke next, his voice muffled by the position he was in. "You know sis—you're really stupid for doing what you did." The pain in my body became evident again, and I started to allow the memories of Marineford to some back to me. I remembered fighting that Marine that I thought to be a giant, but after seeing Jean Bart for the first time, I reevaluated that thought.

I remembered the feeling of my body slamming into concrete, my bones crying out in pain from the actions.

I remembered seeing Ace on top of that platform, begging us to leave with his eyes, but never actually calling out. The fear in his eyes was real, and he didn't want us to die.

I remembered pushing down that lava Admiral, burning my hand in the process, which explained the bandaged hand and throbbing pain.

Luffy laughed again and lifted himself off of me, rolling over so that he was on his back to my left. Ace did the same, lying on his back to my right. We both looked over at Luffy, who was laughing really hard, making the bandage on his face fall off.

"What's so funny, Monkey?" I asked, fighting the smile that wanted to break out on my face.

Luffy laughed some more before looking over at us and just grinning. "I had a lot of fun though!"

The whole room sweat dropped, and Ace and I were no exception. I reached my hand out and slapped him on the head, looking back up at the ceiling and smiling.

I was so happy that I was with them. Sure, Ace was a little upset that we had risked our lives for him, but it was well worth it. I knew that his crewmates back on the Whitebeard Crew would be ecstatic to know that he was alive.

_Whitebeard..._

Of course I knew the fate of Pops. Any idiot would know that he fell in battle, and that he did it in the most badass way ever. He probably even went with a smile on his face, like I had tried to do when I was going to be executed.

Like Gol D. Roger did when _he _was executed.

At the thought of the late Pirate King, I looked over at Ace, who had fallen asleep on the ground with a bubble growing smaller and then bigger in his nose. He was alive, and that made tears form in my eyes as I thought about his late father, who was probably smiling down from heaven. I wanted to laugh at the thought of Gol D. Roger smiling over his son being alive.

What the hell was I even thinking about this for?

The bubble in his nose popped as he woke up, looking over at me with wide eyes.

"Why are you staring at me like that, Mara? It's kind of creeping me out..." Ace said, gaining the attention of Luffy, who had sat up and was talking to Jean Bart about why he was so big.

I shrugged as well as I could and grinned. "I'm just so happy that you guys are all alive. I'm talking about you too, Nate!" I said the last part a little louder, not bothering to look over at the idiot.

I hadn't even heard the door open, but I did hear the new footsteps that entered the room and were heading our way. "Would anyone care to explain why my most critical patients are on the floor?"

"Too bad _I'm _about to die..." I muttered, frowning and looking over to see Law standing by a table with his arms crossed. Bepo stood by his side, carrying his large nadochi in his paws and playing the part of the loyal first mate.

Killian stepped forward, quickly pulling the straws from his nose and throwing them to the floor. "Well you see Captain, when Ace and Luffy saw Mara; they freaked out and ran to her." Law's eyes turned to the blonde navigator, who seemed to become nervous under the murderous gaze. "They went to hug her...and then...well..."

Luffy, obviously not sensing the tense atmosphere, started to clap his feet together. "Hey Trafalguy, what's up?" I face-palmed, asking God why Luffy was such an idiot.

Law didn't even answer Luffy. Instead, his footsteps got closer to us and sounded rather ominous and terrifying. When they stopped, I peeked through my fingers to see that he was standing right over me, glaring as hard as he could with murderous intent.

I bit my lip and lifted my bandaged hand, waving it in greeting. "Uhm... Hey there, Law..."

The glare intensified, making Ace sit up and get in that 'protective brother' mode that I used to see a lot when we became brother and sister.

"I should kill you right where you lay, Miss Mara." I gulped at the sincerity of those words, but I used my good hand to place on Ace's shoulder, stopping him from attacking the Surgeon of Death. "However, as I told you before you left, I have my reasons for keeping you alive and on my ship." I knew he was referring to the fact that I knew people and had great connections, making me a fantastic asset to him and his crew.

I took a deep breath and smiled up at him. "So...does that mean that I get to live a little longer?" I asked, trying to keep the hopeful desperation out of my voice. Law didn't answer, but he rolled his eyes and turned on his heel, calling for Bepo and Jean Bart to follow him.

A relieved sigh escaped my lips and I felt my body release all of that nervous tension.

Law stopped and looked called my name, bringing my attention to his body standing in the doorway and looking over his shoulder at me. That smirk had returned to his face, and I felt as though that was more dangerous than the serious face he had moment ago.

"Miss Mara, if you would be so kind as to meet me in the infirmary after you get some food, I would very much appreciate it."

I pursed my lips and struggled to my feet with the help of Ace. "I don't really have a choice in the matter, do I?"

Law shook his head and left, bringing the polar bear and giant along with him and leaving everyone else in stunned silence.

Well, until Luffy decided to shout 'MEAT!' as loud as he could while running off to steal everyone's food.

I smiled and shook my head, heading to where Victor and Dougal were waiting with some food already dished up, offering me warm smiles. Nate caught up and we walked up to the food line together in silence that wasn't awkward.

When I tried to order a salad, he forced a cheeseburger onto me, making me get the same thing as he did. When I looked up at him, he gave me a smile, to which I returned.

Things seemed to be getting back to normal.

Well, as normal as they could ever be around here.

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**[A/N:] I feel kind of accomplished since this is the longest story I have ever written, and there is still so much more to go.**

**Please review and favorite this story if you think it's worthy of your time! Those reviews that I get make me feel all warm and gushy inside, and they make me feel so loved ^_^**

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**See you next time GUYSSSSSSSSS~!**

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	20. Moods

**DISCLAIMER: YEAH...I THINK YOU KNOW BY NOW THAT I DON'T OWN ONE PIECE. ODA DOES...**

**Anyways, I really hope you guys like this chapter. I worked hard on it, and I kind of think this is one of my favorite ones.**

**Enjoy~!**

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Chapter Twenty

Never in my life had I been more afraid of a set of double doors than I was at this moment in time. I shouldn't have been being a little bitch about it, though. I mean, Law didn't seem like he was going to be very angry, and he already said that he wasn't gonna kill me. So, why the hell was I hesitating outside the infirmary?

I had eaten faster than I thought I would—mainly due to the fact that Luffy and Ace stole food off my plate. That was why I wanted a salad. They wouldn't have stolen my food if it wasn't meat.

After eating, I tried to sneak away and hide in someone's room, but Penguin saw me and said that I needed to get to the infirmary so Law doesn't have to wait. When I made it out of the door and out of Penguin's sight, I tried to sneak away again.

Shachi caught me.

I was literally dragged to the infirmary by Shachi, which had put me in my current position in front of the door. He was still standing there—not trusting that I would go inside on my own—but he was getting rather impatient.

"Just go." He ordered, standing against the wall behind me with his arms crossed over his chest. I didn't look back at him, but I shook my head fiercely, kind of hurting my neck. "Well, why not?" He asked, sounding very curious.

I sighed and turned my head to the side, looking at him from the corner of my eye. "He's pretty pissed off. He's gonna go all 'doctor' on me and probably make this check-up be the death of me." I heard him sigh and mumble something, but I ignored him. "Do you think he would kill me?"

Just then, the door opened, revealing the Almighty Trafalgar himself. I jumped and looked up quickly, meeting his steely gaze with my own frightened one. Why was I so scared of this man? He didn't seem like he'd be all that frightening. I talked back to Scratchmen Apoo like he was nothing, and I even faced off against Bartholomew Kuma without hesitation.

So, what was it about Trafalgar Law that made me fear for my life?

"Miss Mara, as much as I love women to stare at me, I would really like to get this over with." I jumped at his lazy voice, looking back instinctively at the place where Shachi had been standing moments ago. I discovered that he had left when Law came out of the room to stand in the doorway. "So, if you would..." I looked back at Law to see him sweeping his arm to the side, signaling for me to enter the room.

With a sigh and a quick straightening of my back, I walked past the sadistic doctor, noticing that he barely gave me room to enter. I had to actually brush against his body with my own, which I knew that he did on purpose. I spent a lot of time around pirates. This was a common way to intimidate someone who you saw as someone weaker than yourself.

I rolled my eyes at his silly tricks, finding it funny that when he was trying to intimidate and scare me, it didn't work. However, when he was just being himself, I was terrified of the man.

"_God, I'm pathetic..._" I whispered as I walked to the table that was closest to the door.

Law, being the asshole that he was, spoke up behind me after closing the door. "What was that, Miss Mara?" I shook my head and muttered that I hadn't said anything. When I looked at him, I saw that annoying smirk on his face, and fought the urge to run away from him. "I'm sure you know by now that I hate being lied to."

"Can we just get this over with?" I asked quietly from the bed, placing my folded hands in my lap and crossing my ankles together. My gaze was on my feet, which I noticed for the first times were bare. Didn't I have shoes on when I woke up?

Law muttered something before walking up to the table and sitting on the chair that was beside it, close enough that I could simply move my feet to the right a few inches and hit his shoulder. He moved his arm closer to me after a few moments, and an involuntary flinch caused my hands to break apart.

There was a loud and annoyed sigh from the man beside my bed, and when I looked at him, I noticed the tongue dispenser in his hand. "Miss Mara, I thought you were braver than that. You _did _disobey my orders and drag my subordinate into a rather dangerous situation, didn't you?" I gulped and looked away, not willing to answer his question. "Now, would you open your mouth so that I may look inside?"

I hesitated—who wouldn't do so when a man asked you to open your mouth? He may be in doctor mode, but he was still a sadist and a pirate with the epitaph 'Surgeon of Death'.

After a moment, I obeyed and opened my mouth wide. He didn't even smirk, but just put the dispenser on my tongue and took a look inside with his flashlight. I looked around the room, trying my hardest not to gag from the dispenser that was farther back on my tongue than I thought he would put it. I also didn't want to look at him in any way, shape, or form.

Then the dispenser was taken out. When I closed my mouth, it tasted disgustingly of the wood that the dispenser was made out of, and I had to stick my tongue out a few time to get rid of the taste.

"Take off your shirt."

I looked up at him when he ordered me to do that, and I cocked a brow despite my fear of this man. When he lifted a brow back and his smirk widened, I couldn't help but speak the first thing that came to mind.

"My dear doctor, you have to take me out to dinner first before I can do _that._"

He seemed to think about what I had said before he chuckled. Yeah, Trafalgar Law actually _chuckled _at me. "Why don't you just take your shirt off now, and then I'll take you to dinner later?"

My cheeks immediately lit up like a Christmas light, and I couldn't believe what he had just said. Instead of stammering out something and looking like more of an idiot, I simply obeyed and took off my shirt off. I winced in pain a few times, and I wondered if Law even noticed that I was in pain.

Apparently he did, because the next second, a pair of hands were helping me get out of the garment that was too big and throwing it down next to me on the bed. Was I wearing his clothes again?

"You fractured a few ribs." He commented, looking at the skin on my side and touching it gently. I looked down to where his hands were prodding and blanched at the sickening blue color that I had turned in those places. The pain was bearable—I've had worse—but I hated when I had bruises, especially if I knew that they would be there for a while. "There will also be minor scarring from the scrapes that you got."

I sighed and looked away from my sides, resting my eyes on that fluffy hat that rested on Law's head. "This is all because I had to fight a damn giant..." He looked up at me questioningly, and I felt that I needed to clarify. "He wasn't a _real _giant, but he was incredibly big. Maybe he was as big as Jean Bart, but I can't remember clearly."

He hummed in understanding before sitting up again and looking from my sides to my face. Without a word, he reached over and grabbed a stethoscope. I raised a brow in question, but he didn't see that. Although, he did tell me what he was doing. "I need to make sure that you have no fluid in your lungs from any internal injuries."

I didn't say anything, but I did flinch and gasp from the cold of the metal against my chest. I blushed again as his knuckles brushed against the side of my breast, but he didn't seem to notice. When he told me to breathe in, I did. When he told me to breathe out, I did.

"Everything sounds good..." He pulled the stethoscope from his ears and put it away in a drawer, turning back to me. I wondered why he still hadn't said I could put my shirt on, but I didn't question it.

I saw his hands move to my hand, and he started to glare at the bandages that mummified my hand. I realized for the first time, with sadness, that it was my right hand, which was my dominant hand. How would I be able to do anything? My left hand was useless at _everything! _"Do you feel any pain in your hand?"

I shrugged. "There is some throbbing pain..."

He started to unroll the bandage that wrapped around my hand from the tips of my fingers to my wrist. "What happened for you to get burned so badly?" Law asked, sounding mildly curious about what happened.

I thought back to Ace standing in front of the lava Admiral, ready to face death for Luffy. The thought alone made my good hand clench, and of course Law noticed. He questioned it again, so I answered. "The lava Admiral was going to kill Ace and Luffy, so I jumped on him and he punched my hand instead of them. He burned my hand..." I reached my left hand up to my hair, which was still piled on top of my head in its usual manner. "He burned my hair too..."

His eyes met mine then all of a sudden, and they were full of anger. What the hell was he made for? "When were you going to inform me that Mister Straw Hat was your brother as well?"

"Do you guys...know each other?" I asked, trying to find out why he would be mad about something like that.

He gave a shrug, still taking off the many layers of bandage from my hand. Now the white strips were beginning to have a pink tint to them. "We met on the Archipelago, before you and joined the fight with Mister Kuma and Mister Eustass." I nodded, wondering how in the hell they happened to meet before that.

Silence engulfed the room, and I was feeling pretty awkward. Law seemed to be at ease, taking off the last few layers of bandage, which were stained a bright red. When he peeled off the final layer, the sight made me gag and have to look away, tears in my eyes.

"It looks worse than it really is." Law commented, moving around a little bit with my hand resting in his. I couldn't look back at the blistering and bloody mess that was my hand. The sight was too much and I felt like I would throw up. I felt like I could also smell the burnt flesh, and that was upsetting my stomach even more than the sight.

The pain eased then, and when I peeked over at Law, he was rubbing some cream on my whole hand. The burn went to my wrist, which explained why it was bandaged so far up. "What is that?" I asked, motioning my head to the cream when he looked up at me.

"It's a cream that will help heal the wounds. There will be no scarring due to this cream, which I assumed was what you really want." I nodded earnestly, not even trying to hide that fact. He chuckled again—which was still kind of weird—and continued putting the cream on my hand.

The silence coated the room again, but this time it wasn't awkward. I felt comfortable, looking around the room and focusing on everything but my hand and the man that was holding it.

"Thank you..." I whispered after a few minutes. Law was now wrapping my hand back up, and when I spoke, he looked up at me with a quizzical expression. "I mean, thank you so much for everything. You've been helping me since Kuma almost killed me. Now you're saving my brothers, even though you have no obligation to do so." He nodded, as if agreeing with my statement about not having to save us. "I just... Thank you." I was met with silence, which was what I really wanted. I was embarrassed with having to thank him, and I really had to suck up my pride to do so in the first place.

"I saved Straw Hat for my own reasons." Law responded finally, finished with my hands but still holding it in his hand. I didn't really think he was conscious of the action—he seemed very deep in thought right now and not aware of his surroundings. "You still can't leave my ship unless I say so." I glared at the statement, but said nothing. I owed him, after all. "As for Mister Fire Fist..." I was awaiting his answer, but he just shrugged.

I sat there while he cleaned up his hands in the sink a few feet from my bed. He seemed tense about something, but I had no idea what. Law's shoulders were more tense than usual, and his eyes seemed to be sharper than the high look he always had.

"Are you okay, Trafalgar?" I asked finally, standing from the bed and approaching the man who stiffened at my voice. He had his back to me so I couldn't see his face, but I could see that he was frowning now. Where was that smirk that seemed to mock everyone? "Is everything—?"

He turned back to face me and grabbed onto my shoulders roughly. I flinched at the touch, feeling the pain shoot through my body at a fast rate, and I sucked in a breath, not wanting to make a noise. Law, being the doctor he was, noticed and quickly released his hold on me. I tried to say something, but he shook his head and walked out of the room in a hurry, slamming the door behind him and leaving me alone.

What the hell was that all about?

Is this his way of being mad at me for leaving without his permission?

What was up with the mood swings? One minute he was chuckling, then the next he was storming out of the room...

With a sigh, I collected myself and took a few deep breaths before walking to the door. I wasn't gonna be cooped up all day—even though I had no idea what time it was.

My plan was to avoid Law until he was done with the mood swings.

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**Okay, so you guys are probably wondering what is wrong with our favorite Dark Doctor. Well, I'll have you know that...I have no idea what you'll find out! I have an idea of what I want to happen next in this story, but plans change.**

**Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy. Once I get to 100 reviews, I'm gonna post a Kidd X OC fanfiction that I wrote many moons ago. It's my first crack at a lemon, and I still have some things that I need to fix on it, but hey! I'm never gonne give a FUCK!**

**So, please review and favorite and all that jazz. If you have suggestions, questions, or anything like that, just PM me and we can talk about it. (Why did that sound like a therapist?)**

**Anywaysssssss~**

**Love you guys and see you next time ^_^**

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	21. Wills and Ruined Naps

**DISCLAIMER: wait for it... _wait for it... _I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE~!**

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Chapter Twenty-One

"How _exactly_ do you think they know each other?"

The loud whispers were getting on my nerves—especially since they thought that I couldn't hear them. I had to resist the urge to turn away from the conversation and throw something at the heads of the Heart Pirates who were whispering loudly. It would be rude to turn away from a conversation that I was directly involved in.

Not to mention that it would tip off that I hadn't really been listening to Boa Hancock's words for the past twenty minutes.

She actually had been talking to me since she came upon our group, and I was on the verge of jumping over the railing of the submarine just to escape her droning voice. The Shichibukai had appeared when I walked out the infirmary after my check up with the resident Dark Doctor, and I found her reprimanding Bepo for being a 'horrible beast'. When she made sure I wasn't trying to steal Luffy's love for myself—it took some convincing to explain that we were brother and sister—she had to get caught up with me since we hadn't seen each other in years.

This all started three days ago.

I was thanking every deity known to man that we were coming up on Amazon Lily, the island of women. Hancock said that she would take Luffy in since she wanted to be the one to tend to his wounds and be his personal nurse until he is at full strength. This earned my poor younger brother a couple of knots and bumps on the head from the jealous men of the ship—including Ace.

I began to wonder just how in the hell he came to be Hancock's love, since she absolutely loathed men. When I asked Luffy about it, he said that when his crew was separated because of Kuma, he landed on Amazon Lily and ran into the female Shichibukai.

The he stated how he confused he was as to why she was always clinging to him.

That was when _I _bonked him on the head.

"...and then, when I decided that the girls needed to—Mara! Are you even listening to me?" I jumped at the sound of the shrill shriek and looked into the eyes of Hancock. She was glaring something fierce and I gulped rather loudly. She may be one of the most beautiful women in the world, but she was also scary as hell, so I nodded quickly. "Oh, well, in that case..."

And then she kept on talking.

As she droned on about how wonderful Amazon Lily was and how I should just come and stay with her so I wouldn't have to deal with the beastly men of the world, I started to look around the ship. Well, I guess I was really just keeping an eye out for a certain fluffy hat wearing captain that is most likely still moody. I hadn't seen him in the past three days, which was quite a feat.

When everyone else in the mess hall, I would wait in my room—which is actually Nate's room, but I took it upon myself to move in and become his unofficial roommate, much to Ace's chagrin. When the mess hall was empty and the only person remaining was Victor, I would sneak in and he would have a plate ready for me.

On the deck, I saw no sign of the yellow hoodie wearing captain, and my shoulder relaxed slightly. I did, however, notice that Nate, Carlos, Killian, Tino, and Ace were all looking at me from their spot near the railing. I jumped at little at the expression that all of them shared—curiosity. Whenever they got curious...bad things happened.

Hancock noticed that my gaze had wandered, and when she saw what I was looking at, she scoffed and placed a hand on my shoulder and pulled my close, draping her arm over my shoulders and sighing. "You poor, poor thing... Why must men be such pigs?" I didn't answer with words, but I shrugged, deciding not to argue and say that they weren't being pigs at the moment. "I must say, you would be much happier if you came and joined the women on my island."

"I'm actually pretty happy out here with these idiots." I said it loud enough for the five inquisitive men to hear me, and they all narrowed their eyes into thin slits. "It's no fun being around girls all the time. Females tend to act bitchier than men, and too much vagina would just be awful." Hancock seemed a little shocked by my words, but the men that were listening seemed to be intrigued by the new turn on conversation.

I was simply amazed that I was participating in the conversation at all.

At that time, Luffy decided to make an appearance, accompanied by Penguin and Shachi. They seemed to be discussing something rather important—I think I heard the words 'best meat in the world'—but when they saw Hancock staring in their directions, two of the three men got nosebleeds and fell to the ground in a heap.

The third one—obviously being the most naïve of the three—grinned and ran up to me and Hancock with a big grin and a hand on top of his trademark hat. "Hey Mara and Hancock, what are you guys doing?"

I nodded in welcome and noted that most of his bandages were gone. Some still remained, and he still seemed kind of weak looking, but other than that he was fine.

I, on the other hand, still had bandages wrapped around my legs, arms, and right hand. My ribs were still broken—they would obviously take longer to heal than anything else—and I had a few bruises lingering from other injuries. There were still minor scratches decorating my body, but they were pretty much nonexistent now.

Now that her love had appeared to the upper deck, Hancock had no more desire to talk to me and went with Luffy to...somewhere else on the sub. I think she took him over to the Marine ship that she had hijacked, but I didn't know for sure, and I didn't really care. I was exhausted from having to just _listen _to that woman, and I was ready for a nap.

That nap, however, never came because when I was walking to go inside, my name was called.

Turning around, I thought it was going to be one of the five men that were creeping on the on-sided convo with Hancock. Instead, I was face to face with the large fish man that was currently residing on the submarine until he got better. I widened my eyes only a fraction—his condition looked just as rough as mine; maybe worse.

"Mara the Devil, I've been meaning to speak to you." I nodded, taking into account the men who were now interested in what _we _would be talking about. Jesus—can't I ever have a private conversation around here? "You're the one from all those years ago, right?"

My attention was drawn to the eyes of Jinbe, who seemed to be simply curious, holding no ulterior motive. "I don't know what you're talking about..." I muttered, being completely honest in the comment. He could have been talking about anything, so I would need him to be more specific.

He looked ready to say something, but thought better of it and shook his head. "Never mind... I think I have you confused with someone else..." I cocked a brow, but he just continued to shake his head and walked away, brushing past me with a hand on my shoulder and heading below deck, muttering something under his breath.

"What the fuck is his problem?" I asked myself aloud, knowing for a fact that I had never met Jinbe in my life. Sure, I had heard about him, and he probably heard some stuff about me, but I never actually saw the guy in person until just recently. I shrugged it off and turned to go back to my first destination—my room—until my name was called _again. _"The next person who says my name is going to get their dick chopped off and shoved so far up their nose that it will come out their ears."

I was met with silence.

When I turned back around and looked to where Nate, Ace, and the guys had been sitting, they were all staring back with horrified expressions.

With a yawn, I turned back and gave a lazy, two-finger salute as I made my ways down the stairs. "Now, if you don't mind, I'll be taking a nap."

The walk to the room was unadventurous. I didn't have any cliché meeting with Law that would end with him brightening my mood or being nice for a change. There was no sudden attack from a Sea King, Pirates, or Marines. It was simply just a...walk.

When I got to the room, I flopped down unceremoniously on the bed that was now mine—I think it used to belong to Carlos, but he had started to stay with Killian and Tino when I moved into the room. My bag, which had contained all my items that I had from leaving Luffy's crew, was on the bed and right next to my head.

I looked at the brown leather, thinking back to when I thought I had lost it during the war. When I left the infirmary after my check up with Law, I found Luffy and Ace waiting across the hall with shocked expressions. After trying to get answers out of me about Law's behavior, which I honestly knew nothing about, they Ace handed me my bag. He said that Nate had saved it and held onto it until we were back on the submarine.

That bag... I remembered back when Nami bought it for me. She had said that it would be super stylish, and since I was Luffy's older sister, she wouldn't even make me pay her back for it. She surprised me with the bag as I laid on the Thousand Sunny recovering from my near execution, and I had been extremely grateful for it, seeing as I had nothing to my name but the borrowed clothes that she said I could keep.

Execution...

My mind wandered to Marineford, and I thought about how...broken Ace looked when he was on that execution platform. I had never seen him like that, except for when after Sabo died when we were kids, shortly after I became their sister. He looked like he had given up on life, and he just wanted to accept his death right then and there. When he cried afterwards, it made me realize just how hard things were for him, the son of Gol D. Roger.

However, he never really claimed Roger as his father... Ace was truly the son of Whitebeard.

Whitebeard...the strongest man alive... Well, that was what he _used _to be. I had learned upon my awakening a few days ago from word of mouth—as well as from the gruesome pictures on the newspaper—that the great man that I called Pops had died. Blackbeard had killed him, and that gave me a reason to hate that man even more than I already did.

I never thought that he would die at the hands of another man. Sure, I knew he was going to meet his end sooner rather than later, seeing as how he had health problems that would have killed any normal person faster than the rate he went at. It still hurt to know that he was gone...

It hurt to know that I had seen him only moments before his death.

I never... I never even got to—

_Puru, Puru...Puru, Puru..._

I cursed and nearly fell out of the bed, my thoughts immediately disbanded at the sound of my mini Den-Den Mush that was being kept in my bag. I sat up and reached in for the ringing snail, finding it quickly and answering angrily.

"What the hell do you want?" I demanded, not quite sure why I was being so rude. I didn't even know who it was on the other end. For all I knew, it could have been a dying old woman who was trying to get ahold of her grandson for one last goodbye, but dialed the wrong number.

There was a hiss on the other end. "Now, now, Mara; is that any way to talk to your dear friend?" I rolled my eyes at the voice and scoffed.

_I kind of wish it was the old lady that I thought of..._

"Listen Marco, I kind of don't want to talk to you right now." Marco the Phoenix, commander of the First Division of the Whitebeard Pirates, decided to call me right when I was thinking of the late Pops himself? What kind of fucked up coincidence is that?

He sighed heavily and seemed to just sit there for a moment. When I was ready to yell at him for wasting my time, he spoke up. "Where are you right now?"

The question caught me off guard, to say the least. "I'm on my way to Amazon Lily in a yellow submarine with Boa Hancock and my brothers." When it was said aloud, it honestly sounded like the most random thing in the world. "Why do you ask, Marco?"

"I have some things that I need to tell you, and I have a couple of things that I need to give to you, as per Pops' will." I felt my heart strings pull at the last comment, and the tears welled up in the corner of my eyes. Ace and I never talked out loud about his death, so it was weird for someone to speak so casually about it. Well, someone who wasn't the heartless Trafalgar Law, who just told me straight up that 'Edward Newgate is dead.'

Clearing my throat, I gave a nod that he couldn't see. "Well, where are you guys now?"

"I can't tell you." I deadpanned at the answer, but let him continue. "We had Pops' funeral and just left from the Red Hair Pirates only yesterday. Since the Moby Dick was burned, we had to acquire a new boat, and Shanks helped with that."

"So how will we meet up if I have no idea where you are?"

He chuckled, and I could just see in my head his facial expression as he chuckled. "I know where you are, silly." I rolled my eyes at his voice. "Just make sure you and Ace stay together until we can come and pick him up."

"What if I said you can't have him back?" I challenged playfully, knowing that he knew that I wanted that idiot out of my hair. In the past three days, he has stolen most of my food—even when I thought he wasn't around—and he was constantly falling asleep in the most odd places, making me explain his narcoleptic condition to the Heart Pirates, who thought that he had just dropped dead out of nowhere from his injuries.

Marco said something, but I hadn't listened. When I told him that, he reprimanded me for being distracted so easily before repeating himself. "After you get to Amazon Lily to do...whatever you gotta do, just give me a call and we'll work out where I'll meet up with you from there. Okay?"

"Sounds good to me..." I agreed, jumping when the door opened and Nate walked in, confused that I was still awake and on my Den-Den Mushi. He was about to talk, but I held up my bandaged hand, signaling for him to wait until I was done. "I have to go now Marco. I'll see you when I do. It really was good to hear your voice and know that you're alive."

He laughed and agreed. "Yeah, I'm glad that you're alive too, kiddo." I frowned at the childish name and glared at the air in front of me as if it were him. "See you around then, yeah?"

"Yeah, good bye Marco..." I hung up and looked up at Nate expectantly. "Well, what can I help you with, dick face?"

He glared and moved to his dresser, digging around in it with his back to me. "I don't need to explain to you why I'm in my _own _room, freak." I smiled at the old insulting names we had given each other when we first met. "Who were you talking to just now?"

"That was my secret lover." I lied, gauging the reaction that I would get. When he simply turned and looked at me weird, I sneered and decided to tell the truth. "That was actually Marco. You met him before—he had pineapple hair and I hugged him at Marineford."

Nate thought a moment, leaning his back against the dresser with a new boiler suit in his hands. "Yeah, I remember that guy. What did he want?"

"None of your business bitch." He raised his brows and fought the smile that wanted to slide onto his face with all his might. "How much longer will it be until we reach Vagina Island?"

He sputtered and blushed at my nickname for the Isle of Women, and I laughed at his reaction, wishing I had a camera so I could document this amazing moment in history. "W-We'll be there tomorrow, I-I think!" He then rushed from the room and slammed the door on his way out.

I continued to laugh as I lay back down on the bed, this time in a more comfortable position with my bag on the floor and actually underneath the covers. I looked around the room, my laughter now gone, and thought about what Marco had said.

Pops left me something in his will? It baffled me... I never thought that he would leave me stuff upon his death, so I really didn't know what to think of it. I couldn't even begin to wonder what it was that he left me. When I stayed on the Moby Dick at the age of eight, I never asked for anything from the pirates except for food and a blanket to sleep under.

It would be weird to be left food and a blanket in a will...

These thoughts ran through my mind the rest of the day, and I was prevented from taking my nap, ultimately ruining my plans of sleeping until dinner, which would be the next meal of the day. I would just have to lay here and wait until the mess hall cleared out, which was about...

I glanced at the alarm clock beside Nate's bed and thought that my eyes would bulge out of my head and fall to the floor.

...three hours from now!?

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**[A/N:] Mkay, so I have been getting asked when the 'M' rated stuff will come, by people in my PMs and in the reviews. Well, I honestly want to wait for the 'M' to come into play. I mean, I'm definitely not the one to jump someones bones if I hate them and am scared of them, so why would Mara?**

**I do promise that their will be some lemony goodness with a side of lemons sprinkled with lemon, lemonade as the beverage, as well as some lemon as dessert.**

**Anyways, I hope you guys liked the chapter and I hope you're excited to see what Whitebeard left Mara in his will.**

**(I know I'm excited to see what it is too...I have to make up my mind on what I want her to receive from Pops...)**

**Love you guys so much! Review, favorite, and all that good stuff! I will post as soon as I can, so don't get too impatient!**

**XoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXo**


	22. Arrival and Goodbyes

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE FANTASTIC WORLD OF ONE PIECE. I DO, HOWEVER, OWN THE FANTASTIC GIRL KNOWN AS MARA ^_^**

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Chapter Twenty-Two

Waking up and looking around a dark room was enough to disorientate me. However, when you combine that with the eerie silence of the ship, I was just downright scared. Well, maybe I'm being a little over dramatic. If it was as late as I thought it was, then of course the ship would be—

"I overslept!" The alarm clock said that it was morning time—more specifically, it was seven in the morning. Everyone would be awake, and the normal buzz from the crew would be sounding through the metal walls around this time. So why was it so damn quiet? Rushing out of the bed, I slipped on some pants—when the hell did I take them off?

The halls were quiet as well, and the only sound was of my footsteps. Did everyone just decide to play a huge prank on me and be quiet for no reason? Or was something going on that I didn't know about? I was going to be so mad if they were all just fucking around to get a ruse out of me!

When I arrived at the cafeteria, I looked inside real quick and hoped to find someone. Scanning the area, I didn't see anyone sitting around and eating. As I ventured into the empty cafeteria, I didn't even see Victor or Dougal in the kitchen, preparing food or washing dishes.

"Where the hell is everyone...?" I whispered to myself, trying to remember if I had been told of the plan to be extremely quiet today.

Footsteps caused me to jump and look back in the cafeteria where a certain giant man was standing and looking at me in confusion. "Hello. You're Mara, right?" He asked, his voice sounding like canon fire in the silent room.

"Yeah..." I answered, coming from the kitchen and walking up to the giant man, but not standing too close. I didn't want to strain my neck to look at him. "Jean Bart, where is everyone?"

He pointed to the ceiling, but that didn't really give me an answer. "Everyone is up top. We've arrived at Amazon Lily." My eyes widened, and saying a quick thanks to the giant, I ran around him and out of the cafeteria.

If we were at Amazon Lily, that meant that Luffy was about to leave. That also meant that Marco was probably already here and waiting, or else he was on his way. If Marco was here, that meant that Ace was about to leave as well, and I would be without my brothers again.

Taking many turns and a few stairs, I eventually came up to the deck and spotted Luffy instantly. He was standing beside Hancock, who was backing away from the men on deck and trying to keep Luffy to herself. I saw the island in the background, as well as the many women who had come to see what was going on. A few waved to Luffy and called his name, sounding happy to see him again, which ended up with the men on deck to be jealous of my little brother.

Stepping forward, I pushed through everyone and came up to Luffy, bringing my arms around his and giving him a hug that crushed us together. "You better be good, Luffy. If Hancock tells me that you were acting up, I'll have to throw you in the ocean."

He laughed and returned the hug. When I looked at Boa while I was still hugging my brother, I saw the jealousy and murderous intent that was directed towards me, and I rolled my eyes. Letting go of Luffy, I kissed his cheek and pinched his ear, stretching the rubber flesh out and letting it snap back and hit the side of his head. He glared at me for that, but I simply smiled.

"You know Mara; you're still welcome to stay here with us." I looked to Boa in surprise. Didn't she just look ready to kill me a few moments ago? "I know that being around these men is terrible, so I would like you to know that the offer still stands."

I looked back at everyone and smiled. Nate was standing against the wall talking to Tino and Killian, but when he felt my eyes on him, he looked over at me. That glare that he gave me was playful, but Boa thought it was serious and gasped, ready to yell at him for it. I told her not to worry about it as I looked at everyone else on deck, including Ace, who was face-down asleep on the floor.

Law was there as well. He was looking at me from the corner of his eye as Jinbe spoke to him, and I quickly looked back to the Shichibukai that had been talking to me. "I would love to Boa, but I have things that I have to do. Besides, I can't be around that many girls all the time. I'll go insane."

There were some more words spoken between the two of us—she did most of the talking, and I did most of the pretend listening. I was thinking of Luffy and how he would fare on the island. When I learned that his crew had been taken away from him by Kuma, I couldn't help but think of what he had gone through. He wasn't able to protect those precious to him, and then he almost lost his brother. What kind of emotions was he feeling right now? Did he plan on going to find his friends soon, or was he going to wait until he was stronger?

I was interrupted when a hand descended on my shoulder. I thought it was Boa, but when I looked up at her, she looked disgusted and had backed away. That could only mean that a man had come up and touched me, but who was—

"Mara, how are you doing, love?" I whirled and looked at Marco, who was standing there in all his pineapple head glory and grinning down at me with his lazy eyes taking in the many bandages that were peeking out from under my clothes. Everyone on deck stopped what they were doing and looked over at the new man—he was a stranger to everyone except Nate and Ace.

With a smile, I hugged him around the waist, ignoring the pain in my sides and enjoying seeing him again. "I thought it would take you longer to get here." I admitted, pulling away and grinning. "I was going to prepare myself to see what Pops left me."

"Well, now you don't have to." He made it seem like he was doing me a favor, but it reality, he was making things harder on me. "I have—"

Law had stepped up and was standing right next to Marco, giving him the glare that would kill anyone. That smirk was gone from his face, replaced with a frown that seemed like it didn't belong on his face. "I would like to know why you decided to swoop down onto my ship."

Marco glared back at Law, and I realized that this would turn ugly if I didn't say something before Marco did. So, I took it upon myself to step in between the two men and face the angry captain, who was now glaring at me. "Law, this is Marco, and he came here for me."

"I said you couldn't leave my ship."

Boa gasped from her place and pointed at Law accusingly. "Is he the reason you have been denying my offers of staying on Amazon Lily?"

Law's glare intensified. "You've been getting offers to leave?"

I was ready to defend myself, but someone's shout cut me off. "Marco, is that you?!" Ace stood up from his place and was grinning, fixing his hat on top of his head and standing beside Marco, slinging an arm over his shoulders.

My hand slapped onto my forehead, praying that everyone would stop glaring at each other and Ace would get the clue that everyone was pissed. Taking a deep breath, I opened my eyes and looked at Law, who was still glaring at me like I was a witch. "Listen Law, I'm not leaving the ship. I owe you too much to leave now. Marco is here because he needs to give me something."

There was no answer from anyone, and from the sound of Ace whispering, I could tell that he caught on to the hate triangle that had formed between Marco, Law, and Boa.

The glaring was so intense that I couldn't take it anymore. Growling in frustration, which brought Law's eyes to my face finally, I started walking back inside the submarine. "When you decide to grow up, Marco, I would love to talk to you." With that, I passed a confused Jinbe on one side, and a smirking Nate on the other.

I walked down the stairs and was heading to the cafeteria, since I didn't want to go to my room again, and I was kind of hungry. Footsteps were ringing out behind me, and when I turned, I saw Nate, Marco, Ace, and Law following me. What the hell? I only asked for Marco!

Taking a seat at one of the tables, I watched as Marco, Nate, and Ace sat across from me, and Law sat beside me. I was still kind of uncomfortable around the Doctor Captain since I hadn't seen him in a few days, and I was scared that he was still having those mood swings, but I couldn't complain.

"Mara, I apologize for acting like a dick." I snorted at Marco's words, letting him know that I was still pissed. "I can make it up to you." He shot me a wink, and I didn't miss how Law stiffened and glared even harder at the man.

I sighed and rested my chin on my left hand, keeping my right, and injured, hand on my leg under the table. "What is it that you have for me?"

Marco reached into his shirt and pulled out a piece of paper. I cocked a brow, wondering if Pops left me a piece of paper in his will. I mean, I didn't expect anything in the first place, but a piece of paper seemed kind of...

"Pops wanted you to know how much he loved you." My throat closed up and I found it hard to look at Marco in the face, so I opted to looking down at my bandaged hand. I had to force myself not to cry in front of them men at the table. "He said that ever since he picked you up all those years ago, you had always been his favorite daughter."

I snorted and clenched my good hand into a fist. "I was his only daughter..."

"He said he wanted to go back to your home and take care of everything for you, but figured you would be upset with him." I said nothing, but I noticed that Law was very interested in what was going on. Nate was as well, but he knew some things already. "Since he knew he was coming to his end, he wanted to help you out with what happened before we found you."

Something was set on the table—it was heavy and probably glass from the way it sounded. When I looked up at what he put down, I nearly screamed. An Eternal Pose was sitting before me with the name of my home island facing me.

"How did he get this?" I asked, reaching my hand out and grabbing the odd compass. I had never been back to my home island ever since I was eight, and now that I had been gone for so long, I could never remember how to get back. My Devil Fruit powers wouldn't help since I didn't even know where to start looking.

Marco leaned back in his chair and smiled. "He got it when we picked you up." I nodded, not questioning it any further. "There's more though..." I looked at Marco again and saw that he had that piece of paper in his hand still. Ace was peeking over, trying to read what was on the paper, but was disappointed when he realized that it was folded and he wouldn't be able to read it.

I grabbed the paper and looked at it, but didn't unfold it. I wanted to read whatever was on it later, in case it was something that would tear me apart and make me break down in tears. "Thank you Marco." I looked at him again and smiled. "I take it you two are going to leave now?"

"We have our ship docked right next to this submarine. I'll bring the both of us over there in just a moment." I looked over at Ace and smiled, realizing that he looked a little sad now. Hearing about Pops and realizing that I knew him before Ace even knew about him was probably a big shock. I never told him about that, and I never planned on telling him. I guess the cat was out of the bag now.

Standing up, I walked around the table and grabbed Ace, pulling him from his chair and hugging his to me. He was taller than me—everyone was—so he leaned down so that he could kiss my cheek. I smiled, willing my tears to stay away so I didn't embarrass myself. Ace was squeezing me back, unlike Luffy, but he was still being gentle so that he didn't hurt my already ruined ribs. I made sure I had a firm hold on his middle, wishing he had a shirt on so that I could hold onto that instead of having to feel his back muscle.

"Try to start wearing shirts, loser." I said finally, speaking my mind and earning a chuckle. "Stay out of trouble, Ace. I don't want to save you again."

He shook his head and pulled away, keeping his hands on my shoulders while I let my own hands fall to my sides. "Hey, if I recall correctly, you were the one that needed the most rescuing when we grew up."

"It's not my fault Grandpa was insane..." I mumbled, rubbing my face with my hands and backing away from him. "On your way out, if Luffy is still up there, tell him I said I'll see him later." There was a nod from my older brother who knew I was bad with goodbyes, and then he was walking away. Marco stood and walked to me, grabbing me in a tight hug and kissing my forehead. Why was everyone so affectionate?

"Why don't you stay out of trouble, Mara?" He suggested, pulling back and walking away with a two finger salute to me. "Red Hair's crew was so worried about you that I thought they would come here and beat you up for making them worry."

I turned away from him and saw Law and Nate staring at me, one looking angry while the other looked confused. I smiled at the two of them—mainly Nate—before I exited the cafeteria and made my way to my room.

The letter in my hands seemed to weigh a ton and I couldn't wait to open it and see what was inside. Did he write me a poem? A chuckled escaped my lips as I thought of the great Whitebeard writing a poem at his desk, holding a pen that was abnormally large in his freakishly large hands.

As I opened the door and walked to my bed, I decided that it wasn't a poem.

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**[A/N:] Do you guys hate me as much as I hate myself? I seriously wrote this chapter _five _different times because I couldn't decide on what to do! Then, when I did decide that I wanted to write it like this, it ended up being really short.**

**I have no excuse for being a terrible author and not updating in over a month. If you guys hate me, I totally understand, but just know that I LOVE YOU GUYS!**

**I am writing the next chapter now and I will have it up sooner than you expect, so be ready to hear some more from me. (That is, if you even want to read my stuff anymore.)**

**Love you guys and see you soon!**

**XoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXo**


	23. Sweet Things Lead to Confusion

**DISCLAIMER: REALLY? I HAVE TO KEEP DOING THIS? YOU GUYS KNOW THE DEAL BY NOW...**

**Also, I apologize in advance, but this one is short. The next chapter with be long (I hope) so just bear with me!**

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Chapter Twenty-Three

Well...I wasn't expecting_ this _when I opened the piece of paper.

When someone leaves you a piece of paper, it's safe to assume that you're going to get their last words to you. Maybe you'll get a cheesy story of how they felt about you, or what they thought when they first met you. You'll expect to at least get _some _kind of words, right?

So, when I opened the piece of paper, I was ready for tears to spill down my cheeks as I read Pops' last words.

In actuality, I found something that...well; I don't really know what it made me feel. On the piece of paper was a horrible drawn bird. I mean, it looked like a three year old did it, which was really saying something about Pops' nonexistent artistic talent.

I tried to figure out why he would give me something like this. I looked from the paper to the Eternal Pose, which was sitting on the bed beside me, and wondered what was going on. Was this some sort of joke? Was this—?

As I studied the Eternal Pose more closely, I noticed that something seemed...off. The name more specifically seemed to be..._wrong _somehow. When I grabbed it up from my bed, I peered closely at the name on the hourglass-shaped compass before rubbing my thumb across it.

Imagine my surprise when the name actually started to _peel off!_

As I narrowed my eyes, I grabbed the corner of the peeling off name and started to pull on the sticker, watching as a new island name was appearing right before my eyes. What the hell was going on? Why was there a different island name under my home island?

_Kuraigana Island..._

The name sounded so familiar, but I couldn't seem to place where I had heard it before. Had I been to Kuraigana before? Or had I seen it in the paper or on a map? I decided that I go through the day and try to figure out the mystery.

Well, that was all yesterday. I had gone to sleep that night still wondering what that island was, and I woke up this morning in that same state of confusion. I thought about asking someone on board what it meant, but decided that it would only lead to questions and that Law would find out, and then he would be in a pissy mood and try to get information out of me about it.

Why did everything have to be so complicated?

During breakfast—I had woken up so early that I got there before even Victor woke up, so I decided to make my own food—I sat alone at a table near the door and picked at my food. The thoughts of Kuraigana Island were plaguing my mind, and I didn't have the slightest clue as to how I would solve the mystery that Pops left me with.

"Well, I haven't seen you in here in quite a while, freak." I was so lost in my thoughts that I hadn't noticed Nate walk in. He smirked at me, using that nickname that he thought was so clever; until he noticed I had my serious face on.

Before he could talk I smirked back and swirled my fork around my scrambled eggs. "I've just been avoiding you, dick face." He frowned and grumbled something before taking a seat beside me, mumbling some profanities that he thought I didn't hear. "You're not very good at whispering, Nathaniel."

"I wasn't whispering, Mara." Holding my hands up in the universal sign of surrender, I continued to pick at my food. "Are you even eating that?"

I shrugged. "I think I took a few bites, but I can't remember. I've been sitting here for a while...I think..."

That earned me a sharp sigh from the man beside me, but I ignored it. He sat there silently, looking at the wall across from us in deep thought. I wanted to say something—maybe I would ask him about Kuraigana Island after all—but he spoke first. "What's wrong, Mara?"

"Nothing—I'm fine." I answered immediately, but it sounded pathetic even to my ears. Nate deadpanned at my answer and rested his cheek on his fist, looking at me expectantly. "If I tell you that mean you have to promise not to tell anyone." He mimed zipping his lips and throwing away the lock, which I chuckled at before my face grew serious and I looked around, making sure that no one was nearby to overhear.

Leaning closer to his ear, I cupped my hands around my mouth and whispered, "I'm pregnant..." He jerked back with a red face and shock clear in his features. I tried to keep a straight face—I really did—but his reaction was just so priceless that I broke out in laughter. Nate glared at me and slapped my arm lightly, although enough for it to sting and make me clutch at the now red mark. "You—you—I can't even—Oh my God, that was too funny!"

"I don't think you're funny..." He growled, and to show that he was mad at me, he stole my food and started eating it like it was his last meal. I wiped tears from my eyes, trying to control my laughter. Soon, my ribs started hurting and I gasped a few times while chuckling, trying desperately to stop the pain, but I couldn't stop laughing. "If you're hurting yourself then you should stop laughing, stupid."

I shook my head and laughed even harder at the face he was making at me. After a few more minutes of laughing, I was able to calm down and wipe the tears from my eyes again. "Oh, you are just too gullible for your own good, Nathaniel."

"So are you going to tell me what's really wrong with you or not?"

I sighed and nodded, deciding that I needed to see if he at least had some kind of answer to help me out. "Well, that piece of paper that Pops left me just had a picture of a bird on it." He looked confused, which probably mirrored how I felt yesterday when I opened it. "Then, that Eternal Pose wasn't really for my home island like it said at first. There was a sticker on it, and under the sticker was the real island name that it pointed to."

"Well, what island was it?"

I looked around again—I really didn't Law to overhear. When I looked back at Nate, I saw that he was so engrossed in the story that I debated on telling him it was Pregnant Island, but figured I should stay serious if I wanted some help. "It's Kuraigana Island." No recognition flitted across his face, so I assumed that I hit a dead end. "You've never heard of it."

He shook his head, even though it wasn't a question. "Are you sure that place even exists?" He asked, to which I nodded, but then I began to doubt it myself. "Maybe you should ask the Captain. He may know something—"

I shook my head furiously. "I don't want him to know about this. He'll think that I'm gonna leave again and put me on lock down by chaining me to a bed or something." He looked like he was going to defend Law, but then came to the realization that chaining me to a bed was something that Law would do to get his way. "Besides, it may not mean anything at all and it could have been an accident on Marco's part. Maybe he brought me the wrong Eternal Pose..."

"Do you really believe that?" Nate asked, cocking his head to the side as he finished the last of my eggs. What if I wanted to eat those? "This could all have something to do with..." He trailed off, but he gestured to my neck, so I assumed he meant the scarring and the vague things I told him when we ran off. "What if that Raven guy is—?"

The doors to the cafeteria opened and some people started to trickle in, grumpy this early in the morning and just wanting some breakfast. I saw a familiar group walk in, and when they noticed me, the yelled in excitement and practically tackled me in hugs.

"Oh Mara, I haven't seen your beautiful face in ages!" That was Killian, and I think Tino nodded along earnestly.

"Mara, I thought the Captain did away with you, but then I saw you yesterday and I nearly cried with joy." That was Carlos, who seemed to be right in front of me if his bright green hair was any indication.

"I can feel her boobs..." When I heard Penguin say this, and I heard Shachi hum in agreement, I pushed the group of men off of me and glared at the two who made everything awkward. Penguin toed the ground and wiped some blood from his nose, as did his partner in crime.

I sighed and looked at Nate. "I guess we'll have to finish this conversation later." Everyone looked between the two of us, making faces as if they were trying to figure out what was going on. "If you do tell Law, make sure he doesn't take...drastic measures."

Nate gave a lazy salute as I stood and started for the door, and I would have made it if someone hadn't called my name.

"Miss Mara, I do believe it's time to check on your injuries."

I looked back at Law, who was sitting at a table and just finishing his food. I froze in my tracks and felt sick all of a sudden. How long had he been sitting there? Did he hear everything that was said between Nate and me? Did Nate know that he was there?

From the look on Nate's face, it was safe to assume that my last question was a negative. From the look on Law's face, I knew that I was going to have a lot of explaining to do.

_This is going to suck so hard..._

* * *

**[A/N:] I told you it was short. Anyway, I told some people that this would be up yesterday, and I'm sorry for being a big fat liar. I had things to do with the family, so I hung out with them all f-ing day! Don't get me wrong, it was fun, but I had a near death experience involving a Corgi - he looked like Ein from Cowboy Bebop! - and a tree. It was awful...**

**Anyways, I think I blabbed about nothing long enough. I love you guys and hope that you liked this chapter, even though you probably read it in like two seconds .-.**

**See you next time~!**

**XoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXo**


	24. Confusion Leads to Explanations

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ONE PIECE...STILL**

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Chapter Twenty-Four

If I had a Berie for every time I ended up in the infirmary of the Heart Pirate's submarine with a seemingly angry Law, I would...well, I don't even think I would have enough for a piece of gum. It just seemed like I had been in here a lot during my short stay with the Heart Pirates, and I felt like it was getting kind of repetitive.

The only difference was that this time, Law didn't seem as...serious as he usually was. He was still smirking, and I felt like that should be a good sign rather than a bad one. He also hadn't spoken to me yet, or looked at me for this so called 'check-up'. It kind of irked me that he would say he was going to check on me, but he was paying more attention to something on a clipboard, reading it with great interest.

What the hell was he waiting for? Was I supposed to get impatient and be the one to initiate the conversation? If he wanted me to do that, then he was wasting his time. If this kept up, I was going to walk out of here and try to head to my room. He would probably stop me before I even got out the door, but if he did stop me, he would say something.

Therefore, he would be the initiating the conversation—not me.

I grinned at my plan and was about to carry it out. I started to scoot off the table and was about to place my feet on the floor. My hands were—

"Tell me about the scars on your neck." I halted in my actions and looked at him in shock. Not only did I not expect that question, I also didn't want to tell him about them. Apparently, I was staring too long and not answering his demand because he turned in steely gaze on me, no longer smirking, and started to walk to the table I was seated upon. "Do not make me repeat myself, Miss Mara."

I scooted back up onto the table so I was in a more comfortable position and watched as he grabbed a stethoscope from a drawer and another clipboard. "Why do you want to know about them all of a sudden?" I asked, honestly curious as to why he was bringing this up. Was it because he was listening in on me and Nate in the cafeteria this morning? Did we even talk about my scars when we were in there?

"I've always wanted to know about them." Law clarified, grabbing a tongue dispenser and motioning for me to open my mouth. I didn't understand why he always had to do this, but I obeyed nonetheless and opened wide, saying 'Aww' when prompted to do so. "If you're refusing to tell me, I could always force information out of you."

_Or he could always go to Nate and tell him to give him the information. Nate is his subordinate after all, so he really couldn't refuse when given an order like that._

When the tongue dispenser was removed and I waited a moment for my saliva to get rid of the dryness in my throat and mouth, I watched Law's back and got some courage to actually talk to him about my past. I don't know where this courage came from, but it surged up in me and allowed the words to come out of my mouth.

"As I'm sure you heard, me and my brothers aren't really related by blood." Law nodded, seeing as how he read the paper and saw that Luffy was the son of the Revolutionary Dragon, and Ace was the son of the late Pirate King, Gol D. Roger. "I also wasn't always on the same island as the two of them. I moved to Foosha Village when I was nine." Was I talking too much about my past? I didn't really care—I felt like I _needed _to tell him these things.

As I contemplated why I was telling my life story, Law turned back to me and smirked. "Remove your shirt." I did as I was told, still wondering why I was acting like this. "I do hope you're not going to stop there in the story. I still don't know about your scars, Miss Mara."

"Right..." I mumbled, gritting my teeth as the cold metal of the stethoscope pressed against my chest. "Well, I lived in the Grand Line before I moved to Foosha. On my home island, called Scarlet Island, I lived with my blood family. There was my mom, my dad, my little brothers, and my older sister." Why was I telling him everything? I took a deep breath, which came out shakier than I would have liked. Law seemed to notice the emotion in that breath, because he halted in his actions of scribbling on his clipboard and peered over at me, meeting my eyes for a moment.

I sighed and rubbed my face, feeling the scar that was on my face from that blast with Kuma. It felt like ages ago, but I knew it hadn't been that long ago. I remembered when I thought that I was dying—hell; I would have died if Law didn't save my ass back there. I know if Kidd brought me on his ship, I would have died from infection. The last time I checked, the Kidd Pirates didn't have a doctor.

Law's annoyed sigh brought me back to the present, and I realized that I hadn't been talking. "Oh, well, long story short, my whole family died and I was almost killed as well. My hair was set on fire and it spread over my neck, leaving these scars." He seemed taken aback by my sudden short explanation when I was going into detail only moments ago, but I didn't care. "So, now you know. I was burned nearly to death and now have some ugly scars to show for it."

Silence bore down on me like the weight of the world, and I wondered if he felt as uncomfortable as I did.

"May I take a look at the scars?" Did...Did he just _ask _for _permission_? Hell must be freezing over if Law was being kind enough to ask me if he could do something...

I shrugged and took it upon myself to turn my back to him, bringing my legs up onto the table and clasping my hands in my lap, sitting crisscross applesauce and waiting patiently. If he was going to start being nice, I was going to be nice as well and let him take a look at my scars.

Cold fingers brushed over my neck and I stiffened. It wasn't because of me being uncomfortable with someone touching them—it was because his fingers were like ice! How could someone have fingers that cold? Was that even possible?

"Who is Raven?"

Now I was stiffening because I was uncomfortable. Law's fingers were still dancing over the taut skin on the back of my neck, and I knew that he had seen the name burned into my skin. I was still a little mad that no one had noticed it before, but I guess it was kind of my fault. I never let anyone close enough to see it up close and personal.

I frowned and clenched my hands into fists. "Raven is—"

The door to the infirmary burst open and I jumped, falling backwards. I was already in a bad position in the first place, so the scares made me slip from the table. Law grabbed me and stopped the fall, pushing me back up and letting me turn around, looking away from him with a red face and turning to the person who ran into the room.

Nate was standing there with a red face as well—oh yeah...I don't have a shirt on. He was trying to look away, but his eyes kept travelling back to my chest, which reminded me on the time he had to be present during my examination with Law and I accused him of staring at my boobs. I should do that now and—

_Puru, Puru...Puru, Puru...Puru, Puru..._

My eyes travelled to the mini Den-Den Mushi that Nate held in his hands, and I realized that it was mine. "What are you doing with that?" I demanded, jumping from the table and grabbing it from his hands.

"It's been ringing for a while, so I decided to bring it to you. Either it's urgent or someone _really _wants to catch up with you." I slapped his arm at the sarcastic tone and turned my back to him, looking at the wall instead of the confused Law.

I answered the small snail and sighed in annoyance. "Whoever this is, you better have a good reason for bothering me at a time like this."

"Oh darling, you know that you always have time for me." I was confused at first, not realizing who it was. Then when he spoke again, I knew that there was no doubt about who was on the other side of this conversation. "Oh beautiful Devil, I have a bone to pick with you!"

I sighed and rolled my eyes, silently asking God why Marue had my number. "What do you want Marue?" I asked, having no patience for his antics. He was insane and childish, which I usually had no problem with since I grew up with Luffy and Ace, but there was something about Marue that annoyed me to no end.

"How could you leave the Archipelago without saying goodbye to me? I mean, one minute we're hanging out at the bar, drinking away all of our problems, and then I hear that you were gone." Marue sounded sincerely upset with me, and it made me feel kind of bad. "You said that we could meet up the next day and discuss business."

I cocked a brow and thought back to the bar. Did I really say that? I don't remember... Then again, I was extremely intoxicated, and I couldn't even walk right, so maybe I _did _say something like that to him. "Well, sorry that I was busy dying."

He snorted and I glared at the snail phone, wanting so bad to pull on his braid until he begged for mercy. "Listen sweetie, I have some things that I need to tell you about Raven."

I looked up at Law—I don't really know why, but I felt like I needed to look at him. He looked...well, he looked pretty pissed. He was glaring at me and no longer smirking, which I knew was bad. That frown scared me more than the smirk sometimes, and I wanted nothing more than to get the hell out of this room and hide under my bed.

"What did you find out, Marue?" I asked monotonously, looking away from Law quickly and focusing on my bare toes. Why did I never have shoes on?

There was some rustling on the other end of the phone, and instead of yelling at him to hurry up, I just waited it out. "Okay, I found out some places he had been in the last few months. It's a few islands, and there are even some records of him using his real name at some inns. When asked, the inn keepers gave accurate descriptions of him, so I knew that they were telling the truth." I always wondered how Marue had the resources to do stuff like this, but I didn't ask. I would be given some stupidly long story that would make me want to kill him in the process of listening to it.

"Can you please get to the point, you idiot?" I asked in a demanding tone, hearing Nate give a chuckle behind me.

Marue whined loudly and grumbled a few curses at me, but listened to my demand. "Well, I thought that you may want to know that there is a list of islands that he has been to in the last week, and they all seemed to be leading up to the Archipelago. If he continued on that path and spent the same amount of time on each island, then he would have arrived a few days ago."

That was...something... Usually, Marue gave me some bullshit like he did when I saw him, telling me that he didn't know where Raven was and that he didn't know when I would get attacked. "I have to say, I'm proud of you for once, Marue. You're actually doing what I asked you to do."

There was a laugh from the man, and I thought about taking back what I just said. "Oh Devil, the best part is that I'm not even finished relaying information to you yet!" I cocked a brow and ignored the increasing anger that was emanating from Law. "It turns out, Rambo—"

"—Raven—" I corrected quickly.

"—was using Eternal Poses so that he could quickly get from one island to the next. He seemed to want to catch you in time, and he would have if you hadn't left when you did." My heart felt heavy all of a sudden. Raven was so close to catching me, and I didn't even know it. I wouldn't have been prepared for him if he did catch up to me. "This means that he'll backtrack to those islands that he used to get there."

"How do you figure that he'll do that?" Nate asked for me, speaking up so suddenly that I jumped and glared at him for scaring me. "If he read the paper and saw that Mara had just helped Luffy with saving Ace, then wouldn't he take a different path and try to find her based off of her last known location?"

"When did you get so smart and detective-like?" I asked the man behind me, turning and giving him a sour look. He just glared at me and made a face, turning away and looking at the wall.

Marue seemed to understand where Nate was coming from, based off the noises of agreement coming from the bright-blue wearing man. "I must say, I was thinking the same things when I was contemplating all of this. But, due to my sources being so great, I discovered that he's already backtracking and going in the same line that he was going in on the way to the Archipelago."

"Well, what's the next island?" I asked, getting some hope that I would be able to find him finally.

Marue did some more shuffling around, and after a moment, he exclaimed and he sounded too relieved. "I thought I had lost the paper..." My eyebrow twitched in anger, but I said nothing. "If my sources are correct—which they always are—then he just left Gama Island today." I nodded, not even knowing where the hell that was. "After that he's going to Kaplin...and then he'll go to Kuraigana...and then he'll—"

"Did you just say Kuraigana?" I exclaimed, thinking to the Eternal Pose that was given to me.

Marue sounded hesitant all of a sudden... "Yeah...He should be there in about a week."

"Do you know anything about that island?" I asked, feeling so giddy inside that I thought I would explode. I finally had a lead! I finally found some link between Marco's words and that Eternal Pose that Pops left me!

"Well, I know that Hawk Eyes Mihawk lives there."

I stopped feeling so excited. I hung my head and nearly dropped the Den-Den Mushi from my hands, barely holding the snail with the tips of my fingers. Why did it have to be Mihawk's island? Why couldn't it have been someone else's? I would have been happy if it was someone like...like... Oh I don't know! Someone who hates me a little less than he does?

"Mara, are you still there?" Marue sounded concerned. I mean, he used my name, so that alone showed how serious he was at the moment.

I groaned and nodded to myself. "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for everything. If you get anything else, give me a call. I'm—"

"Wait a second, are you sure that you're—?"

"—gonna go now. I'm in the middle of a check-up. Goodbye Marue."

I hung up and sighed, turning and handing the Den-Den Mushi to Nate.

"Well, thanks Nate." He nodded and seemed to feel awkward, shuffling his feet and looking at me with concern. "Can you put that away for me? I don't think Law was done with my check-up, and he also seems pretty pissed at the moment, so I'm gonna have to explain what's going on."

"Oh yes you are." Law confirmed, sounding like the Devil himself with the way he growled out the words. Nate sensed the anger from his Captain and quickly disappeared from the room, leaving me with the beast known as Trafalgar Law.

I walked back to the table and sat down. Law followed and sat on the chair, glaring at my intensely and waiting, although he didn't look too patient. I thought a moment about everything that had just happened, and decided on what I would do.

For the next hour, I was explaining everything about Raven. How I met him on Foosha and was forced to eat the Devil Fruit. How I thought it was my first time meeting him, but after learning about his name burned into my neck, I realized that I was wrong. How I was attacked and imprisoned, all because of him and his conniving ways.

How I was planning on killing Raven, no matter if I died in the process.

And now Law was brought up to speed on what had been talked about between Nate and me on our trip to Marineford.


	25. Help Lead to Confusion As Well

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE. I ONLY OWN THE PLOT AND MY OC'S, WHICH ARE THE CHARACTERS THAT YOU DON'T RECOGNIZE. I OBVIOUSLY HAVE TOO MANY TO NAME, AS THERE HAVE BEEN SMALL CHARACTERS, AS WELL AS BIG CHARACTERS, SO DEAL WITH IT.**

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Chapter Twenty-Five

"What are you talking about? Straw hat could beat Eustass Kidd in a fight any day! Kidd needs metal to really fight, but Luffy is pure power—he's a monster!"

There was a scoff in response. "Yeah right! Kidd is a monster too! He may have a Devil Fruit that requires metal, but he's still strong as hell!"

"Luffy is training with _Silvers Rayleigh, _who was _the _First Mate of Gol D. Roger's crew. He's gonna be unbeatable when all that is over—so I win."

"No you don't! I'm telling you—Kidd would win."

_When is this going to end?_

I had been in the room, laying on the bed and thinking about life, when I had some intrusions. Nate was away doing whatever the hell he does on the ship, so I was enjoying the peace while I had it. Then Penguin and Shachi burst into the room, bugging me to play some poker with them. I declined and turned away from the two of them, hoping they would take the hint and get out.

Oh, I was so wrong about that.

Instead of leaving, they took it upon themselves to keep me company, arguing the whole time. Penguin was sitting on my bed, right on the edge now from how heated the argument had gotten. Shachi was on Nate's bed, laying down on his back, but had slowly been lifting himself up on his elbows the angrier he got.

I was busy trying not to smother myself with my pillows.

They had literally been talking about what was for _dinner _a few minutes ago, and suddenly they were trying to decide who the strongest Supernova was. I didn't ask, but they explained why I wasn't being included in the possibilities.

Apparently, they were only arguing about the male Supernova's. If it was a contest between the women—which would only include me and Jewelry Bonney—I would obviously win.

They were actually nearing the end of their debate—the final three were Luffy, Kidd, and Law. Whoever would win out of Luffy and Kidd would be 'pitted' against Law, and then the process would repeat so that they could find out who would be the best.

To be honest, I would probably kill myself before that would happen.

A sharp laugh came from Penguin, and it jolted the whole bed. My eye twitched in anger and I gripped my pillow tightly in my arms. "I told you, moron! So that means that it's Luffy against Law! Now, I think that Law would be able to just cut him up and win right then and there."

"But Straw Hat's rubber, so what if cutting him won't work?"

"Why wouldn't it work?"

"Well, you see—"

I couldn't take it anymore.

Finally reaching my boiling point, I sat up and reached out, grabbing Penguin by the front of his uniform and pulling him close to me. He seemed shocked, his hat falling from his head and revealing his wide hazel eyes.

"If you guys are going to discuss this shit, do it somewhere else." I growled through gritted teeth, tightening my hold on Penguin's clothes. "What the hell are you guys doing in here anyways?"

Shachi seemed afraid now and hurried to explain him and Penguin's presence. "W—We thought that you would want some company. Nate has been busy today, so we—" When my eyes cut to him, he gulped loudly before continuing. "We thought you would want some company!"

I took a moment to decipher the words, as he yelled them out all jumbled together, but when I did, I sighed and released the poor man that I was holding hostage. He leaned away and fell from the bed, landing on his stomach with a groan. I rubbed my face, feeling that damned scar once again, and moved so my feet hung from the bed and touched the floor.

"I'm sorry guys..." I muttered, burying my face in my hands and taking deep breaths.

Penguin recovered from his fall and got back up on my bed, albeit hesitantly, and chuckled nervously. "You don't have to apologize, Mara."

I shook my head and laughed without humor. "I've just been on edge lately." I explained, leaving my face in my hands and shaking it back and forth slowly. "I mean, I don't know... I don't know what's going to happen when we get there."

We were on our way to Kuraigana, believe it or not. After I explained to Law the other what was happening, he took it upon himself to steal the Eternal Pose from me and set our course to Mihawk's island. I wondered why he was helping me, but he explained with his smirk that he wanted to meet Mihawk and get some information about the New World from the Shichibukai.

I tried to tell him that it wouldn't work—getting information from him, that is—but then he asked how I would know.

Not wanting to tell him that I knew Mihawk personally, I just shook my head and said that I didn't know.

"Well, I know what will happen!" Shachi exclaimed, leading to me bringing my face out of my hands and looking at him curiously. "We're gonna go there and talk to Hawk-Eyes, and we're gonna kill that other guy."

I shook my head and frowned. Law had told the crew that we were going there mainly for information—and supplies—but that I also had a personal vendetta against someone who would be there. When everyone inquired what was going on, I didn't want to explain. I couldn't bring myself to look even weaker than I already did, especially in front of the whole crew.

Nate had my back and told everyone to mind their business. His protectiveness brought a smile to my face, which he made fun of.

I hadn't seen him since then—and that was yesterday.

Back to the conversation at present, I shook my head again, the frown still on my face. "What if I'm not ready to kill him? I mean, what if I end up getting killed?"

"We're not going to let some crazy ex-boyfriend kill you, Mara." Why did everyone think he was my ex? Did it just give off that sort of vibe when everything was explained, or did they all just think weird? "Law wouldn't let you die, anyways. He's worked so hard to keep you alive so far, so why would he let you die after all this?"

I shrugged and took his words to heart. Maybe he was right, but I still doubted everything. I didn't know how strong Raven was now. What if he had some more dirty tricks up his sleeve? I was almost at full health, and I would still have time to heal when we arrived at Kuraigana before Raven got there, but was I really able to do what I needed to?

Would I really be able to kill someone?

Would I be able to kill _him?_

Without my knowledge, the two of them continued talking about their stupid debate about Law versus Luffy. Penguin seemed to be vouching for Law—he was telling how powerful Law's Devil Fruit was and how he's never lost to anyone. Shachi was on Luffy's side, saying that it was hard to cut rubber and that Law would lose.

"What did I say about this conversation?" I growled, leaping from my spot on the bed and jumping on Penguin, who screamed a rather girlish scream and fell to the floor with me on top of him. Shachi started laughing as I started to hit Penguin, lightly slapping his cheeks with my hands while he tried to block my attacks.

Shachi was also being an instigator, cheering me on from his place on Nate's bed, jumping up and down in excitement. "Get him, Mara! Come on; use your Devil Fruit or something! He's weak—he's too weak to defeat you!"

I laughed and turned to Shachi, giving him a look that translated into a playful 'what the hell are you talking about?' Penguin was struggling to get up, so I leaned forward more and started to slap at the man again. "Next time, you'll listen, huh? Next time, you'll leave the room to talk about the stupid stuff that you two talk about!"

Shachi yelled in protest then, saying that their debates were very smart and they weren't stupid at all. Then he started to cheer for me again, which showed that he wasn't mad about my comment.

"Give him the chair! Give him the chair!"

What chair was he talking about?

"What the hell is going on in here?" I almost didn't hear the voice over Shachi's yells, but I did. When I turned to the door, I was pleasantly surprised to find Nate and Law, standing there and looking at everyone. Well, they were looking at me and Penguin.

I was happy to see them—well, I was happy to see Nate. I didn't really care if I saw Law or not, so I wasn't disappointed to see him.

That was when I noticed the faces that they were making.

Nate was wide-eyed and seemed genuinely shocked. His face was also beet red and he seemed rather embarrassed about something.

Law, on the other hand, was seething. His smirk was gone, but he didn't frown. His mouth was in a straight line—the kind of line that someone has when they're disappointed in you. He was also glaring, his gray eyes boring into mine with a look that translated to death.

"Miss Mara, would you care to explain what's going on?"

I cocked my head to the side, and wondered what was wrong. We were all just playing around, and I was wrestling Penguin on the floor—

Oh shit...

Looking down at the man under me, I realized that he had a stream of blood coming from his nose, and he was blushing like a school girl with a crush. My hands were on his shoulders and my knees were on either side of his body—I was straddling the poor man. I was also leaning forward a little bit, as I was trying to trap him on the floor, which leads to my breasts nearly touching his chest.

I was almost lying on top of Penguin.

Now I was embarrassed, so I quickly jumped up and fixed my clothes, clasping my hands behind my back and giving a cheeky grin.

"Oh, we were just playing."

Nate sighed and slapped his forehead with his hand, shaking his head slowly back and forth. Law's jaw tightened and he seemed to be even angrier with my response. What the hell?

A silence fell upon the room, and in that time, Shachi walked over to Penguin and kicked him in the side, trying to snap the man out of his stupor. I grabbed his hat from my bed, scrunching my face when my back was to everyone else, and then threw the hat on his face.

That woke him up, and he looked around awkwardly as he stood from the floor, trying hard not to stare at my chest.

"Well..." Nate started, clearing his throat and looked down at Law from the corner of his eyes. I never noticed before, but Nate was a lot taller than Law, which I found amusing. I would have laughed if the situation wasn't so weird. "We were coming to tell you that we're going to be there tomorrow."

My eyebrows rose and I nodded. "We were really that close already?" Nate nodded and Law's glare intensified. "Well, I guess... I guess that's good..."

Oh God, this was super weird.

"Miss Mara, I would like to speak with you." Law sounded so mad...

He stepped into the room and looked at Penguin and Shachi, giving them a look that seemed to give them the hint that he wanted to speak to me alone. The two of them scurried around me, rushing out the door, and running down the hallway. Nate gave me a pained look from out the door before he closed it and left us alone.

Law didn't waste any time as he stepped forward and loomed over me. I almost shrunk away, but didn't want to lose that last shred of dignity I had, so I held my place. Law didn't touch me, but he didn't have to. I already feared for my life and all he did was step forward.

Why was he so mad all the time?

"Miss Mara, I would appreciate it if you didn't let things like that happen on my ship." I almost asked what he was talking about, but held my tongue. "I don't want my men touching you."

The words made me blush, and I looked down so I could hide this fact from him. What did he mean he didn't want his men to touch me? I mean, me and Penguin were just playing around! It's not like we were making out in the middle of the room and half naked! Well, I was wearing some shorts that I made by cutting Law's flannel pants, and a large white shirt that nearly went past the shorts on my thighs.

As I thought of what I was wearing, I started to blush even more. Then I took into account how close we were, and now I really wanted to back away from him.

"I don't know what you did before you got on my ship, but you will not let anyone touch you while you're with me. Do you understand me, Miss Mara?"

What did he mean while I was with him? He was talking about how I was on his ship, right?

A hand came into my field of vision, blocking my view of my feet, and I flinched. I really thought he was going to choke me out—I mean he just seemed like he was _that _pissed about everything. Instead, that hand went up to my chin and tilted my head so that I was forced to look at him.

His face was the epitome of anger, and I wanted to look away again.

"I said—do you understand me, Miss Mara?"

I nodded quickly, hoping his hand would fall from my chin.

It didn't...

I saw something change then. Law's face became softer. Don't get me wrong—he was still pretty angry and looked like he was about to kill someone, but his eyes seemed to soften slightly when they met mine.

Then he started to lean in.

I started to freak out on the inside. Why was he doing this? Why was his other arm grabbing onto my arm, gripping my bicep with bruising strength?

Was he going to...?

"L—Law..." He hummed in response, but he didn't stop moving closer. I was still looking at his eyes, but his seemed to be flicking back and forth between my own brown eyes and my lips. I wanted to make him stop—I really did! But something was stopping me. Something inside of me kind of...wanted this to happen.

Wait—what the hell am I talking about? I don't want this! He's the man that didn't let me leave to save Ace and Luffy! He's the man that hates me because of all the problems that I've caused him! He hates me, and I hate him! That's just how things work, and there is no in between!

Now he was dangerously close. So close that his breath was tickling my lips, and it made me shiver. We were separated by a hair—one false move and we would be locking lips.

"L—Law, please..." My hands went up to his arm that was holding my chin, and I latched on. He exhaled once more and seemed to be ready to move in for the kill, but I gripped him hard and jerked back. "Please...please just stop..."

His hand released my arm and, in turn, I released my hold on his arm. I was looking at my feet—I couldn't bring myself to look at his face. However you looked at it, I was doing two bad things at that point in time.

I was telling him what to do, and I was rejecting him.

Those two things could get me killed.

When I was ready for those feet to walk closer to me, I was shocked when they turned on their heels and started for the door. "Dinner will be ready soon." He sounded so casual, as if he wasn't mad or hurt or anything.

When the door closed behind him, I brought my fingers to my lips and just stood there. What the fuck just happened? Did he...was he really trying to kiss me? Why would he do that? I mean, he hates me, right? And I hate him! I know that I hate him! He's mean to me and is a manipulative son of a bitch, and I would leave this ship if I didn't owe him my life for several different occasions. So why would he try to kiss me?

I don't know how long I was standing there—I was simply standing and thinking about everything. I didn't even think about dinner, which he casually mentioned on the way out. How could I eat after that? I felt like throwing up from just thinking about it!

"Hey Mara, we—"

The door swung open and Nate walked in. I jerked my head up and looked at him, my face flushed and my fingers still resting on my lips. He stopped in his tracks, glaring at me for a moment before recognition flashed in his eyes and he turned red as well.

"Mara...did you and the Captain...?"

I frowned and walked forward, pushing on his chest so I could get out of the room. "Hell no, we didn't do anything! I was just thinking—that's all!" I yelled at him, glaring up at him from the doorway. He didn't look convinced to say the least. "There's no way that I would ever think of doing anything with him. He's just too... He's too much of an asshole."

And I was being honest. I wouldn't think of doing anything with Trafalgar Law. I would much rather bury myself in an ant pile covered in honey. I hate Trafalgar Law. I hate him so much.

I... I do hate him, right...?

* * *

**[A/N:] Yay, I've made my first _really _awkward Law and Mara moment! *VICTORY DANCE, BITCHES***

**Okay, I realized that I didn't write an Author's Note in my last chapter, and it made me feel weird, so I'm making sure that I include it in this chapter.**

**I literally just wrote this whole chapter in one go because it just came to me how it should pan out, so I went with it. I apologize for spelling errors and if it sucks. I really am trying!**

**Anyways, how was everyone's 4th of July? And if you don't live in America, how was your week? (See? I don't discriminate!) I hope you all had fun! I would have gone to the Freedom Fest, but we just found these abandoned kittens and we didn't want to leave them alone for that long. They're so cute! They had their umbilical cords when we found them, and we have to bottle feed them ^_^**

**Sorry for rambling .-.**

**Love you guys, as always, and I hope you liked this chapter! See you soon~!**

**XoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXo**


	26. Kuraigana Mania

**Disclaimer: WUSSUP MY OP FANS! IT'S DISLCAIMER HERE TO TELL YOU ALL THAT ONE PIECE IS NOT OWNED BY THIS TERRIBLE AUTHOR~!**

**Me: Well...that was kind of rude...**

**Disclaimer: ENJOY THE CHAPTER THOUGH ^_^**

**Me: Jerk .-.**

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Chapter Twenty-Six

_Crackkk~!_

A rather loud and girlish scream erupted from the group, and everyone immediately looked to the only female member of the group. I glared at them and shook my head, pointing to Penguin accusingly, watching as he tried to play it off like it wasn't him.

"This is ridiculous. Why are we doing this?" I asked finally, whispering loudly to Law, who was standing a few feet in front of me. He turned and cocked a brow, and I fought my blush down. I hadn't really looked at him since the incident yesterday where we almost kissed, and now I felt awkward around the man.

Nate noticed this, but he kept his comments to himself. "What do you mean, Miss Mara? Do you not know the plan?"

I rolled my eyes at Law's words and shook my head. "Of course I know the plan, but it's not gonna work." I moved closer so that I could speak in a normal tone instead of a whisper, but not too close. "You really think that Mihawk is gonna give you information? He'd rather kill all of us than give us what you want."

"I didn't realize that you were an expert on this Shichibukai." Law said in a mocking tone, stepping over a large root that was sticking out of the ground.

"I'm not an expert on him." I defended myself quickly—maybe a little too quickly. Law looked at me suspiciously now, but I looked away and bit my lip. "I mean, you've heard the rumors, right? He's heartless and he'll cut down people for disturbing his nap."

I wasn't making that up, either. I remember when I was staying with him; a group of pirates showed up and tried to kill him. Mihawk wasn't mad that they were going to kill him—he was mad that they came in the middle of the night and woke him up. Before I could even comprehend what was happening, the pirates were slain in the middle of the room, covering both of us in blood. I never feared for my life until that moment—I realized how easily he could decapitate a man, and I knew that he wasn't someone to mess with.

_Crackkk~!_

Another scream came from Penguin, but this time, his partner in crime Shachi joined in, and they clutched each other in fear. I groaned and Bepo said something under his breath about humans being weird.

"Whoever is stepping on sticks needs to stop." Nate declared turning and glaring at Penguin and Shachi.

Shachi sniffled and let go of Penguin, wiping tears from his face and turning to look at Nate. "W—well, the thing is, it's not any of us that are stepping on sticks." I cocked a brow and looked at the ground, realizing what was about to be said. "We've been walking on a grassy path with no sticks." I slapped a hand on my forehead and looked around at the trees near us.

"Why didn't you say anything sooner?" Law growled, his hate shadowing his eyes and giving him a very dangerous look. I backed away, scared that Law was going to reach for his nadochi and start killing everyone because Penguin and Shachi were idiots.

"Mara, look—" Penguin's warning came too late, as I was already falling backwards.

Apparently, the trees were hiding the fact that there was a rather steep hill right next to the grassy path we were on. When I backed away from Law, I toppled over the edge of this hill-cliff and started to fall.

Don't get me wrong, I tried to save myself. It's not like I just fell wide-eyed and expected someone to save me. When I felt that my foot wasn't connected to the ground anymore, my hands shot out and I fell forward, slamming my body on the ground and gripping the grass. That very same grass, however, was ripped out of the ground and I started to tumble down.

I heard some frantic yells from up top as I fell to my death. I heard Law yell out 'Room!' at one point, but nothing happened. Wasn't that supposed to be the thing that saved me from dying?

My body slammed into every rock, every tree, and every bush there was on this hill-cliff. I tried to stop myself numerous times—I grabbed at branches and tried to grab at the grass some more. Nothing was working, and I was beginning to feel pain in my ribs again. I mean, they weren't full healed yet—they were broken for God's sake—so I didn't think that falling down like this would be good for the healing process. I hope Law doesn't—

"What the hell?"

The voice only gave me a moments warning before I slammed into something that was considerably warmer than the previous rocks and trees, and felt very fleshy. I couldn't see who I ran into, and I didn't recognize the voice, but they did take it upon themselves to wrap their arms around me. I don't know why they did that to be honest, but since they were behind me and preventing me from slamming my back into things.

When we started to slow down, I realized that we were nearing the bottom of the hill-cliff. I was pretty banged up—I had bruises forming on my arms and legs, and I know for a fact that my hands were pretty messed up. The one hand that was burned all that time ago by the Lava Admiral was throbbing—the cream that Law had put on it healed the injury excellently, but from the contact it was having with rocks and trees, it was in a lot of pain.

As I was assessing my injuries, we stopped.

I was lying on my back on top of the person that I ran into, which would have been awkward if I wasn't so tired from that fall just now. The person seemed to be breathing rather hard, which in turn, moved me up and down, as if I were on a boat at sea.

The arms were still wrapped around my stomach, and when I looked down at them, I realized that the person was indeed a man. The arms were muscular and tan...and very familiar.

What am I thinking? Did I hit my head? How can some arms look familiar?

"You crazy woman..."

My eyes widened and my heart started to beat faster. The man below me... I recognized that lazy, angry voice!

Quickly moving, I turned around so that I was straddling the man below me and grinned down at him. His green hair was the same—green and weird. His eyes had been closed, but once I was situated, he opened them and saw me. He seemed to be regarding me the same way that I was doing to him—curiosity and awe. My eyes flicked to the numerous small scars that he had all over his bare chest and arms, while his flecked to the large one on my face and the my hands, which were clutched in front of my chest.

Finally done looking him over, I grinned like an idiot and squealed with delight.

"You're alive, moss head!" His face morphed from surprise to anger in a matter of moments, but I ignored it and leaned over to hug the man, wrapping my arms tightly around his neck and resting my head on his chest. "Oh my God, I am so happy that you're okay."

Put of everyone on the Straw Hat Crew, I was closest to Zoro. Well, apart from Luffy that it, since that idiot was my brother. Zoro appeared to not like me, as he was always cold towards me and acted as if I was going to slaughter everyone in the middle of the night, but after our conversation on the Archipelago, we... we became friends.

Zoro was stiff under me, but after a few seconds, he relaxed and wrapped his arms around my back, catching me by surprise. He was acting very...un-Zoro-like... I did appreciate the gesture though, and I relaxed further, completely laying on the man and willing myself not to cry. All I could think of was when Luffy told me about everyone getting blown away by Kuma, and how broken he looked when he mentioned Zoro being blasted off. Luffy believed that he was alive, and now that I knew he was, I would be able to tell the idiot myself.

"Oh my God Zoro, I thought you were dead." I breathed, trying to steady my shaking voice.

Zoro got stiff again, and then took it upon himself to sit up, causing me to straddle him in a sitting position—something I had never done before, so I started to blush. Was he blushing too? His swords were digging into my thigh—and no, that was not my insinuating something dirty. It was literally his three swords that he always had on him. I didn't let go of him, though. I was too ridiculously happy to see him that I didn't care if this position was embarrassing.

"Mara..." He sounded very uncomfortable, so I assumed that he was as embarrassed as I was right now. I hummed in response and finally let go, moving back so that I could look him in the face. He looked worriedly at my face and flicked his eyes to my scar. "Is...Is Luffy okay?"

I smirked and nodded. "We both got pretty banged up, but he was better off than me." Zoro's eyes went back to my scar and I shook my head, bringing my hand up to it and touching the raised skin. "I got this on Sabaody."

He nodded and blushed even harder, and it was then that I realized that we must have looked like we were getting pretty intimate at that point in time. Our faces were close. My hands were resting on his shoulders, and his were resting on my hips. I started to blush too, but I tried to hide it from him as I turned and looked around, releasing my hold on him and crawling off of his lap, sitting beside him on the dirt.

A thought occurred to me then.

"Zoro—what the hell are you doing here?" Did he even know where he was? Did he know that Mihawk was on this island? He was the very man that Zoro wanted to fight, and seeing that they fought once a long time ago when Zoro first became a pirate, what would happen if they saw each other now? Would Mihawk kill him for real this time? How long had Zoro been here? Was he—?

"That Kuma guy blasted me here from Sabaody." I nodded, thinking that was the most likely reason that he was here. "What are you doing here?"

I sighed and looked up to the sky. "It's such a long story..." Zoro raised a brow at my tone, asking me to elaborate. "Well, I'll tell you some other time. I have to find the people that I'm here with before they kill me for falling and not coming back."

"Who are you here with? Did you find a crew of your own?"

"Unfortunately, I did." I stood then, waiting for Zoro to stand as well. "Do you wanna—?"

_Crackkk~!_

I whirled to where the sound was and place my hands in front of me, bringing out some vines from the ground and forming them into sharp points—I was ready for whatever was going to come. Zoro was ready as well. He placed a hand on his swords and tensed up.

"—Dammit, Penguin! Stop stepping on sticks! We all know it was you the whole time!"

"Hey... Maybe _you're _the one who was stepping on them! What about that, huh? Now you're just blaming it all on me so I look stupid."

"You make yourself look stupid—you don't need my help for that. Trust me."

"Maybe it was Bepo!"

"I'm sorry..."

"Dammit, so easily defeated!"

Five figures emerged from the trees, arguing and looking pretty pissed. I lowered my hands and sighed, dropping my weapons and shaking my head, waiting for the men to notice me. Zoro was still tense—if anything, he was tenser now than he was a moment ago. I cocked a brow at him, but he stood ready to fight if he needed to.

"I found Mara~!" My attention was drawn back to the four men and polar bear that had just emerged, and just noticed me from the looks of it.

Zoro looked at me now, but he didn't relax from his tense and ready to kick some ass. "You're here with _them_?"

"Is that Roronoa Zoro?"

I nodded in answer to Zoro's question. "Yeah, I've been with them since they saved my life on the Archipelago." Zoro seemed to relax a fraction of an inch. "You've met them before?"

"They helped fight off the Marines when Luffy punched that Celestial Dragon in the face."

"Luffy did _what_?!" I screeched, looking over to the Heart Pirates to confirm this crazy information. Nate, Penguin, and Shachi seemed pretty pleased at the memories of my insane little brother punching a World Noble in the face. Bepo didn't seem to care, and Law just looked like he was about to rip someone's face off. He's mad?

Nate just so happened to be the one to elaborate what happened on Sabaody. "Luffy and his crew were saving some mermaid that was being sold. Then Saint Charloss shot some fish man that was with the Straw Hats and Luffy...well, he got mad."

"So _that's _how you know Luffy." I said to Law, bringing his hard glare from Zoro to me. I flinched and looked away quickly. "I never knew he would be stupid enough to punch a Celestial Dragon."

Zoro looked down at me oddly, and then looked at Law. He seemed to be curious about what was going on—my face was flushed, I had flinched when he looked at me, and he looked like he was going to kill everyone.

"Wait, Roronoa Zoro," All heads snapped to Nate, who seemed to have been in thought after telling me what happened. "Since you're here, does that mean that you've been with Mihawk this whole time?"

I had been wondering that as well, and right when Zoro looked ready to answer, the most cliché thing in the world happened.

Dracule 'Hawk-Eyes' Mihawk stepped out of the trees, his trademark hat on and his sword strapped to his back. He was followed by a floating pink haired girl who seemed like she was pissed off from the way she was glaring at Zoro.

I stared at the newcomers and gulped loudly, which seemed to bring Mihawk's attention directly to me. His golden eyes widened a fraction of an inch, but then glared as hard as he could.

"Panther D. Mara, you are either extremely brave or really stupid to show your face on my island." Everyone looked between me and the Shichibukai now.

I shook my head and cleared my throat. "I'm actually neither of those. It's more along the lines of being...desperate." I could barely get the word out, but when I did, Mihawk's frown became even sourer.

I could never have imagined what happened next.

Mihawk stepped forward, grabbing his sword at the same time. Everyone tensed, but no one moved. When he was in front of me, his sword was then pointed directly at my chest. I frowned and looked down at the blade before looking at the man who was wielding it.

Now people were moving. Well, to be more accurate in my description, they were kind of moving away. Nate, Penguin, and Shachi were scared—I could see it in their eyes—and they were backing away so that they didn't get caught in the crossfire.

The only people who didn't move were Zoro and Law.

Zoro was watching with curiosity and confusion. I had, after all, told him that I was once Mihawk's student, so it was odd for an ex-mentor to pull a sword on his ex-student. Then, I told Zoro that Mihawk had gotten frustrated with me and kicked me out—so all of this wasn't too unbelievable.

Law, on the other hand, looked even more pissed than before. His smirk was in place, which it hadn't been before, and he was glaring at Mihawk. He looked ready to kill the man with the nadochi that Bepo had handed him.

I looked Mihawk in the eyes and saw that he was extremely pissed.

_Oh Shit..._

"You should die where you stand, Mara." Mihawk explained, coming closer with the point of his sword and touching it to where my heart was. "And I should be the one to end your pitiful life." The point of the sword was then pressed to my flesh and I gulped loud.

"W-what...?"

In the time frame of a second, a sword was thrust forward.

* * *

**[A/N:] It's kind of short, and I apologize. But hey, at least I left you with a cliffhanger that will make you bite your nails and pull out your hair in anticipation for the next chapter!**

**I have a quick question though! Did anyone notice my Shrek reference in the last chapter? I mean, it made me chuckle when I put it in, but I don't think anyone noticed that it was Shrek...**

**Anyways, I really appreciate everyone reading this story of mine, and it makes my heart swell with happiness. Remember that time when I said that I would make a KiddXOC fanfic? Well, it's still gonna happen, but I want to wait a little bit before I started to publish it. I'm scared that if I don't take my time on it, then I will make it sound to similar to this one and then everyone will hate me and I'll have to disappear from forever! O.O**

**...well...that got a little more intense than I thought it would...**

**So, please review and tell me what you think. Please-I welcome every type of criticism! If you hate this story and want me to stop, tell me. I mean, I won't listen, but I'll still read it ^_^ Your reviews literally make my day and I always look forward to reading them.**

**Jesus Christ, this was a long AN. I'll stop now because I'm sure you guys don't wanna read all this.**

**Love you all and see you next time~!**

**XoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXo**


	27. Chapter 27

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE. SORRY.**

**Also, this is probably the worst chapter in the entire world. So, enjoy if you can.**

**Sorry .-.**

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Chapter Twenty-Seven

I should have been dead. I _would_ have been dead if it was anyone other than Mihawk trying to run me threw with a sword. Since it was him, though, and he taught me many years ago what to do if I ever caught myself in this situation, I saved myself...for the time being.

When he thrust his sword forward, I had a spilt second to remember the teachings of the almighty Dracule Mihawk from two years ago.

_"When someone gets you in this position, what do you do?"_

_ "Hope and pray that Prince Charming will swoop down and save me."_

_ SMACK~!_

_ "When you're in this position, you..."_

I ducked down so that the sword's point whipped past my head, nicking my cheek in the process and spilling some blood down my neck. Pulling some vines from the ground, I wrapped them around the sword's hilt, since the blade would have chopped through my Devil Fruit greenery, and pulled it down. Mihawk lost his balance for a moment and nearly fell on top of me, but he quickly righted himself—and I quickly moved.

_"When you get away from your opponent, what do you do?"_

_ "I would say that I keep praying for my Prince Charming, but I think I'll just get—"_

_ SMACK~!_

_ "Are you going to take this seriously? When you're away from them, you..."_

I backed away from Mihawk, never turning my back on him, and watched as his sword was thrust forward again. I was ready to counter—I had my hands ready and I was going to do some cool move and dodge the sword like a fucking boss!

He thrust the blade forward and I formed a shield with my vines, blocking the attack successfully. When that was done, I pushed the shield forward and it hit into his body, knocking him back a few steps. I took that time to back up a few steps of my own, and then I was ready to really kick some ass!

And then I ran into the tree.

My back slammed into the bark and I gasped as the sword's point approached me at an alarming rate. I didn't have time to move, and I heard my name called.

_Well fuck..._

The sword made contact and I squealed in shock. At some point my eyes had closed, but when I opened them, I was face to face with Mihawk. I looked down at myself quickly and saw that I was...unscathed? When I looked back up at him, I followed the sword's hilt to the blade and finally to where the point was sticking in the tree right beside my head.

I turned back to Mihawk, wide eyed and confused.

"What happened to dying where I stand?" My voice shook slightly, but I wasn't embarrassed. Who wouldn't be scared when the world's greatest swordsman was trying to run you threw with their sword? I had a feeling, though, that he wasn't using his full speed and strength at the time, which added to my confusion.

Mihawk simply stared at me, holding no emotion in his face. "I'm impressed you remember the skills that I taught you, Mara the Devil." I scowled at the name and the fact that he didn't _look _impressed. "I thought that all you did now was weakly tackle people."

I didn't say anything in response. I knew he was referring to during the Battle of Marineford when I ran up on him and tackled him to the ground. And then I pushed him down and ran away. Is that why he was so unbelievably pissed at me? Maybe I _should _have stayed on Amazon Lily with Hancock and her women.

I looked past his head for a moment and really took in the scenery of the island. It was like something that one would expect monsters to live on—very dark and dangerous looking. It seemed befitting for someone like Mihawk. He was so distanced from people, and from what I could tell, he didn't have friends. He had allies, but never friends. Did he ever have a woman in his life? Is that why he was like this?

What the hell am I thinking?

"What are you doing on my island, Mara?" Mihawk demanded to know, tightening his grip on the hilt of his sword and leaning closer to my face, successfully bringing me out of my weird thoughts. "After our fight at Marineford, I would think that you would stay away from me."

I was still silent, but not because I wasn't going to answer him. I had every intention of telling him what was going on, but I was still getting over the fact that he didn't kill me. Mihawk seemed pissed, and when he was pissed, people died.

When there was an annoyed sigh from the Shichibukai in front of me, I decided to speak up. "I need your help, Mihawk." He seemed taken aback—his eyes widened and he frowned "So I was hoping you would...you know...let us—"

"Why in the world would I help you?"

His words, believe it or not, weren't unexpected. Mihawk was just like that—he was mean to everyone because he hated everyone.

I sighed and nearly relaxed, but when I felt the blade dig into the scratch that was on my cheek, I quickly stiffened and straightened my posture. "You'll help me because I'm super awesome and you love me so much and—"

He drew the sword from the tree, spraying bits of bark all over me, and turned around quickly. When he drew back, I relaxed. From his posture and the face he made before he walked away, I knew I had gotten my way. I slumped to the ground, sore from my tumble down the hill with Zoro and having to be so tense during my conversation with Mihawk.

I took the time to look around at everyone who was there. Zoro was looking at me with a weird look in his eyes, as if he were impressed or something. The pink haired girl beside him, who I assumed was living on the island with Mihawk, was glaring and seemed to just hate everything.

The Heart Pirates seemed to not know what to think. Law was glaring intensely at me—something that I feared I was getting used to. Nate was rubbing the bridge of his nose, looking up to the sky as if searching for answers. Penguin and Shachi had been whispering to each other, but when my gaze fell upon them, they stopped and whistled, as if they weren't doing anything. Bepo was trying to listen to them, but he just seemed to be standing there, like a part of the scenery.

Law then stepped forward, walking straight towards me, and I saw my life flash before my eyes. He looked ready to rip my head off, and so that wouldn't happen, I quickly scrambled away.

"Oh God, he's going to kill me!" I whispered harshly, crawling on my hands and knees to where Zoro was standing, looking at me in confusion. "Someone save me...anyone save me...he's crazy—!"

A hand latched onto my ankle and I was pulled back, landing on my stomach, knocking my breath out of me. I looked over my shoulder and gave Law a small smile, hoping that he would suddenly find me attractive enough to not beat the shit out of me.

Or cut my heart out, like I heard from some rumors a long time ago.

"Miss Mara, when we get back to the sub, I would like to have a conversation with you."

I laughed nervously and shook my head, rolling over so I was on my back, but he still had ahold of my ankle. "No, that's okay. I was thinking that we would head over to the castle and—"

"No."

Well, that was the end of that conversation.

Law grabbed me by my arm and dragged me to my feet, keeping his strong hold on my upper arm. I scowled, turning to Penguin and Shachi for help, but finding that they were looking away.

_Cowards..._

Zoro, on the other hand, seemed like he was about to fight Law, looking extremely pissed. Was he mad at how Law was handling me? I blushed at the thought, wondering why he would look so murderous about that.

He caught my eyes with his own and I shook my head, hoping that I looked like I didn't want him to do anything. Zoro didn't look convinced that I was okay, but Mihawk's orders for Zoro to follow him back to the castle brought that silent conversation to an end.

So I was dragged back to the sub. Nate was looking at me like I was crazy, but no one was talking. It was kind of uncomfortable, but I was grateful for the silence. That meant that I would have time to get my shit together before I had to talk to Law.

_That _was something I was not looking forward to in the slightest.

I didn't have that much time to get my thoughts together before we were back at the sub. Penguin, Shachi, Bepo, and Nate were given the duty of informing the crew of what happened while Law dragged me off to have out little 'talk'.

My previous experience led me to believe that we would go to the infirmary.

Oh, was I shocked when we instead went into a large bedroom that seemed so clean that I thought it was fitting for someone like a Surgeon of Death.

"Miss Mara," He began, tossing me towards the bed in a silent order to sit down. I did so hesitantly, keeping my eyes on the man that pulled up a chair from a desk and sat near me, placing his elbows on his knees and resting his chin on his laced fingers. "I believe that you should explain to me about more of your past as a pirate before I rip your heart from your chest."

Well, that had to be the most vulgar threat he had ever given me, and it just made me even more scared of what would happen. I didn't really understand why he would want to know my past as a pirate, but I figured he had his reasons, and I wasn't about to question him.

With a deep breath, I began. "Well, I met Mihawk when I first became a Pirate..."

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**[A/N:] As I said, this chapter sucks. It just seemed like it was so boring and nothing really happened, and then it was so freaking short! I tried out so many different ways to write this, and to be honest, this was the best.**

**The next chapter will be so much more better. You'll get to experience some of Mara's past (not all of it, of course, since it's going to be her 'past as a pirate')**

**Okay, review and give me some of your opinions. Tell me this sucked if you want to-I don't mind. You'll just be agreeing with me, and that won't bother me at all.**

**I'll post sometime this week, and then I'll me MIA in Seattle for a week. Maybe-just maybe-I can get in two more chapters before I leave, but I highly doubt it. I'm not making any promises, so don't get your hopes up.**

**Love you all and see you sooooooooooooooooooooon~!**

**XoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXo**


	28. Something Old

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ONE PIECE. I ONLY OWN PANTHER D. MARA. SHE IS MINE. DO NOT STEAL HER. THANK YOU. GOOD BYE.**

**Enjoy~!**

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Chapter Twenty-Eight

_The sky was bright blue, and there were plenty of people waiting on the cliff, looking out at the boat. I was grinning back at them, happy that I would be leaving to become a pirate, but sad that I had to leave them. Makino had tears in her eyes, and Dadan was nowhere to be seen. The mayor was grinning, tears streaming freely down his face with no shame whatsoever._

_ The only person, who seemed to be happy, other than me, was Luffy. He—_

"What are you doing?" I stopped in the middle of my sentence, cocking a brow at Law, who had held up his hand and was frowning. "I don't care about when you left home. Talk about when you started being a real pirate."

I scowled and crossed my arms over my chest. "I would have gotten there in a moment. There's no reason to rush me." He looked like he was going to kill me, so I held my hands up in surrender and sighed. "I guess I'll just get to meeting Mihawk—that's what you wanna here, right?" He didn't answer, but frowned even harder, so I took that as a yes and laughed.

Clearing my throat, I started again.

_My boat had been stolen after I arrived at my first island, so I had no way of getting around for three days. Eventually, when I was able to get some very kind woman to lend me one of her son's boats, I started off again. Of course the boat was smaller than my old one—there was only enough room for one person—but it was perfect to me._

_ The day was coming to an end, and since I didn't see any land in sight, I would be sleeping in the boat for tonight. I didn't mind in the slightest. I had done it already for a few nights before arriving at my first island, and I did it again last night, so it was something that I was already kind of used to._

_ Laying back and using my backpack as a pillow, I closed my eyes against the reddening sky and sighed in content. I was actually trying to think of a way to get my name out there, and I was hoping that the Marines would give me a cool epithet—something that went along with my Devil Fruit. However, as I thought about it, I realized that there really weren't any cool ones that would go with my plant-based Devil Fruit. Of course, leave it to Luffy to get some cool rubber powers, and I was stuck with being able to make plants come out of the ground—_

_ "Hey, who the hell are you?"_

_ I cracked an eye open and looked to my left, spotting a small boat—nearly the same size as my own—that had come up alongside me. I was surprised I hadn't heard it, but then again, my thoughts were elsewhere. The men on the boat were running their eyes over me and the boat, taking in everything that was on it, which was really just me, my backpack, and a screwdriver that I hadn't noticed until I had already set sail the other day._

_ Ignoring the men, I closed my eye again. I heard someone growl and the wave started to rock my little boat even harder._

_ "You answer me when I speak to you, little girl."_

_ I grumbled and sat up, pushing my hair from my eyes and glaring at the men as hard as I could. "I am someone who is really tired and getting really pissed off. Got any other stupid questions?"_

_ The one man who had been talking to me was getting pretty pissed himself, as his face turned red and his eyes narrowed into thin slits. His dark hair blew in the silent wind, and I noticed how his large hands clenched into fists at his sides. The other man looked nearly identical to the first, but he seemed calmer than his doppelgänger._

_ "I like your spirit." The calm man spoke finally, his voice deeper and gruffer than the others. I furrowed my brows, confused at his words and how he stroked his chin, as if he had an imaginary beard there. "I think we'll take you with us."_

_ Now I was _way _more alert. I quickly stood and widened my stance as best as I could on the small vessel. The men found this amusing as they made a move to board my boat. "Don't come closer to me." I threatened, opening my palms and facing them towards the men. "I'll kill you."_

_ "Do you even know who we are?" The first man laughed out, slapping his comrade's shoulder in amusement. "We're Frost Pirates, girly! We'll kill you before you can even blink."_

_ I honestly never heard of the Frost Pirates, so I wasn't all too sure that they were telling the truth. That is, until the second man gestured to their ship that was waiting in the distance. "Now, be a good woman and come with us."_

_ "Why would you think that I would listen to you?" I asked, honestly confused as to how someone could be so stupid. "You think I'm going to be stupid enough to follow you idiots?"_

_ The first man was beyond pissed now, so he jumped from his boat onto mine and grabbed my arm all in one swift move. "That's it; I think I'll just kill you now." My body seemed weak when he grabbed onto my bare arm, and I began to wonder if he had some sort of Devil Fruit that drained the energy from his enemies. But when I slumped against him, he was just as confused as I was, and dropped me quickly. "What the hell, girl?"_

_ When I was free from his grip, my strength started to return and I did some quick thinking. Reaching to the corner of the boat where that screwdriver was, I clenched it in my hand when the second man spoke up._

_ "She's obviously a Devil Fruit user, you dolt." Another body jumped to my boat, rocking it slightly and causing me to stumble. "You have seastone on your glove, don't you?"_

_ They seemed to discuss what was going on, and were too distracted to notice anything that I did. So, gathering all my strength and steeling myself, I took the screwdriver and drove it into the first man's thigh. I heard the sickening sound of the skin breaking, and felt myself gag as his life fluid spilled onto my hand and smelled heavily of iron. I pulled the impromptu weapon out of his leg and composed myself quickly._

_ As he let out an agonizing scream and clutched at his leg, I got up from my squatting position and attempted to jump from my boat to theirs. I would have made it—I really would have—but I was stupid and grabbed my backpack before I made my jump._

_ When my legs went to push me off the boat, I jumped into the air, but was grabbed by my hair. I let out a yelp as my legs came crashing into the side of the boat, dipping into the water to my knees. I felt myself start to weaken from the water, but still struggled as best as I could._

_ "That was a bad move, sweetheart." The second man had grabbed ahold, and he was started to sound as angry as the first. "I think I should drop you into the water and let you sink to your death."_

_ I gritted my teeth and reached up my hands, trying to disentangle his hands from my hair, but failing miserably. "Drop me then." I growled out, more than willing to die instead of being taken back to their ship and doing things that would probably be mortifying._

_ There was a sharp laugh, and I thought it was one of the men on my boat, but they seemed as confused as I was. "Who the hell is there?"_

_ A boat came into view, and I found myself giving up on my struggle for a moment to look at the odd vessel. It looked...weird to say the least. It had candles on it, and didn't really have sides to it. There was also a huge cross on the back that held the sails. It was more of a floating throne than a boat, now that I think about it._

_ The man on the boat looked like some twisted kind of royalty. He had his legs crossed and a wine glass in his hands. I nearly deadpanned at how ridiculous he looked, but held it in as I remembered that I was in a dire situation._

_ Getting my eyes off the newcomer—I believed he was with these Frost Pirates, so I didn't trust him—I started to claw at the man's hands that were still gripping my hair. "Lemme go, you jackass!"_

_ "Shut up woman." He grumbled, shaking his hand a little so that he tugged on my hair a little harder. I growled and started to slap at him, but he was ignoring me now. "Who are you?"_

_ The man on the boat seemed to be a silent person, so I started to wonder why he laughed only moments ago._

_ Before I could ask what the hell was going on, something whipped past my ear. I started to fall to the ocean, but was grabbed around the waist and set on a hard surface. When I took in what was before me, I saw that I was sitting on the raft of the newcomer while the two bumbling idiots that had held me before were lying face down on the surface of the water, bleeding all over the place._

_ I looked from the horrid sight up to the man who had saved me. Backing away slightly, I thought of a way to escape._

_ "Do you know who I am, girl?" The man asked, sounding very...pompous. I shook my head in response, and when his golden eyes met mine, I felt my heart drop to my stomach. "I am Dracule Mihawk."_

_ The name sounded familiar... "Oh—I know who you are!" I pointed a finger at the man, but quickly stopped since I didn't want to anger someone who could kill two men in all of three seconds. "Shanks talked about you. You're the world's greatest swordsman, right? Hawk Eyes Mihawk?"_

_ He gave me an odd look, but nodded once before turning his eyes away from me. His boat was moving again, and we were sailing away from my small boat. I was ready to complain that my backpack was still there, but then I hit my foot against something. When I looked down, I saw that it was my backpack._

_ Oh he is good..._

_ "I am going to offer teaching you the way of the swords."_

_ I looked back up at Mihawk and cocked a brow. "They...way of the swords...?" He gave another quick nod, and I put a hand to my chin, thinking about all of this. "And why would you do that, Mister Swordsman?"_

_ "You're pathetic." I deadpanned at his answer, pouting my lip out and getting resituated to rest on my knees, too afraid to stand in case if I made everything unstable and fell off. "I pity someone like you, so I will take you under my wing and teach you the ways of defending yourself with the blade."_

LATER:

_"You're not even capable of taking down an ant, Mara. How can you possibly take someone like this, who has had training in the Marines?"_

_ I looked out over at X Drake and sighed, knowing I wouldn't win, but really didn't see any harm in trying. Mihawk was trying to reason with me, but from the tone of his voice, he really didn't care. I had been 'training' with him for three weeks now, and neither of us saw any kind of improvement whatsoever. I sucked just as bad as I had when we started—I probably got worse while over the course of these three weeks!_

_ So, in a bout of rebellion, I attacked X Drake._

_ There wasn't much of a fight to speak of. I was beaten easily by the ex-Marine, but I did go at him with the intent to kill, which was something that Mihawk voice when we got away._

_ "You're probably not cut out for this..."_

EVEN LATER:

_Mihawk had kicked me out of his place. It was something about how terrible I was at everything and how I couldn't fight someone with a sword even if they had no arms and was forced to just use the blade that they held in their mouth. I tried not to take offense, but I did catch my eye twitching in annoyance as he spoke to me about leaving._

_ So, I had travelled the past week to a new island. I was nearing the Grand Line and would be at Loguetown soon, so I figured I should make one last stop before heading there._

_ As I docked, I came face to face with some other rookie pirates—the Kidd pirates._

_ The captain was a sadistic maniac, and when I stepped into the bar, he tried to hit on me. When I told him I wasn't interested, he tried to punch me in the face. I blocked with the help of my Ivy-Ivy Fruit, which made the crazy man laugh and sit beside me once again, although he didn't try hitting on me again._

_ "What's your name, woman?"_

_ I scowled at the man and turned away from him to order some food. "Mara. You?"_

_ He grinned and pointed to himself, his hair really seeming like flames as he let out a chuckle and it moved on top of his head. "I'm Eustass Kidd—the captain of the Kidd pirates!"_

_ "How nice..."_

_ A man behind him, wearing a blue and white mask and drawing out some scythes, pounced up and seemed ready to attack. "You better show some respect to Kidd."_

_ "Well, as nice as it was to meet you guys, I think I'll leave now." I took the food from the woman behind the counter and smile, paying quickly and moving towards the door. "I hope to see you in the Grand Line, Eustass Kidd!"_

_ There was a loud laugh behind me, and I don't know if he returned my wave, but he did respond. "I will be looking for you, Mara!"_

_ It wasn't the last time I saw Kidd on that island, and it wasn't the last time I saw him period. We actually met a few times on the Grand Line, and joined each other for drinks when we met up. He tried to get me to sleep with him, and I tried to make sure his first mate, Killer, didn't live up to his namesake and kill me for 'disrespecting' his beloved Captain._

EVEN MORE LATER

_My first bounty came when I entered the Grand Line and arrived at my first island._

_ There isn't much to this story to tell, as it was all simply a misunderstanding. A man who had entered the Grand Line at the same time as me—a traveler who was simply exploring the crazy sea—had seen me with Mihawk once upon a time. A Marine base was conveniently placed on that island, so the man reported me to the Marines stationed there._

_ I was given a bounty of 80 million Beries for being with Mihawk._

_ The Marines tried to capture me, and since I fought back and won—going out with a bang, like I was taught from Luffy and Ace—my bounty went up to 100 million by the time I reached my third island. Things moved fast, and I didn't really understand what all was going on at the time, but it seems pretty straightforward when you look back on it._

WAY, WAY, WAY, WAY LATER

_You can never go through the Grand Line without incidence. Of course, I fought Marines and pirates alike, which accumulated my bounty up to the 380 million it was when I first arrived at Sabaody about two years into my piracy._

_ Once I stepped foot on the Archipelago, a woman named Shakky was ushering me to her bar. I was hesitant to enter, but found that she was very kind and seemed to want to help me not get caught by the Celestial Dragons and live life as a slave. It seemed like a good idea to me, so I didn't argue with her on that one._

_ "You seem like a nice girl, so I'm gonna help you out, alright?"_

_ I assumed there was more to it than that, but I didn't question it. "Okay... So, how come you don't get caught as a slave?"_

_ "I live in the right area, honey." She gestured to her bar, as if that would help everything make sense, but it didn't. I nodded anyway. "Oh, it seems like you don't know much about Sabaody. Lemme explain it for you..."_

_ After Shakky explained the zones, groves, and other things to me, I was left with a lot of new information. Deciding I wanted to leave and get some fresh air. I walked all the way to Grove Ten, and before I knew it, I was being capture by Marines, taunted by Raven, and taken away to a Marine Prison that wasn't too far off from Sabaody._

Law was silent. I wouldn't say he was speechless, but he sure as hell wasn't talking. I sat with my hands folded in my lap, knowing that I rushed through and didn't exactly go into detail with everything that happened. I wondered if he would get mad about that, but shrugged it off and resolved to wait until he spoke before I said anything.

"And now your bounty is at what, Miss Mara?"

I jumped when he finally spoke, and was rather surprised that he asked that question, of all the things he could have asked. "I'm, uh, at 420 million now..."

He gave a nod, and then was silent for a few more minutes. I was waiting for him to speak right away, but when he didn't I decided to relax and wait. He chose the moment I was completely relaxed to speak, scaring me yet again. "Are you a threat to my crew, Miss Mara?" I shook my head quickly, and Law had that smirk on his face that I hated, yet loved at the same time.

"I won't hurt you guys, Law." I explained, leaning forward and giving him a smile, which seemed to shock the man greatly as his eyes widened and he leaned back. "I grew to like you guys, even though I tried not to, and I owe too much to this crew—to _you_."

Law's eyes traveled from my eyes to my lips, then back up to my eyes. I blushed as he leaned closer, and I found myself leaning away.

He smirked and caught my chin in his fingers, standing up from his chair and leaning so close that his breath fanned over my lips and cheeks. I was choking on my heart, and the heat on my face made me feel like a heater.

I felt something in my stomach as he closed the gap between our lips, pressing his lips firmly to mine. He pulled back instantly, having only been in contact with me for about five seconds, before leaning away and chuckling.

Law released my chin and quickly put a bandage on my cheek, where my cut from Mihawk was, even though I had forgotten about it until just then. He then proceeded to walk from the room, holding up a hand in farewell and calling over his shoulder, "Come up soon, Miss Mara. We have things to discuss with Mister Mihawk."

My fingers went to my lips and I felt the blush stinging at my cheeks as the door closed and I was left alone in the infirmary. My mind was reeling and I was trying to make sense of what the hell happened.

"Did Law just _kiss _me?"

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**[A/N:] So, did you guys like it? We finally had a real life LawxMara moment! Oh, it was just the perfect amount of awkward and rushed, which I believe would be Law's style when things like this are involved. I may be wrong, but oh well~ Ooooh weee, just wait until things really start to heat up between the two of them!**

***falls on floor with a nosebleed, thinking very dirty things***

**And I know what you're thinking: "Her past seems rushed!" "You're so stupid" "Oh my glob, will you stop writing this terrible piece of shit already?" Well, I can answer the first question, because I really don't wanna even acknowledge the other two. (jerks...)**

**Her past seemed rushed because they were her words to Law. She didn't really feel comfortable telling him _everything _about her, because Mara's a secretive little son of a bitch! If you don't like that she told it that way then I'm sorry-take it up with her. She'll probably ignore you though, so good luck.**

**Anyways, I leave on Saturday, and I will miss my lovely Texas home. (Just kidding-this place sucks) I'll be gone for a week, but i'll try and write something before I leave. If I don't finish, please don't kill me. I WANNA LIVE~!**

**Okay, I talked for too long. Love you guys and see you next time~!**

**XoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXoXo Xo**


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